Blade Runner 2049 received a highly divided reaction among critics and audiences alike back when it was released in October. The sequel to Ridley Scott’s legendary adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? was directed by Arrival filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, and while it was loved by some for its effective capturing of the tone of the original, and for exceptional cinematography, it was also loathed by others for its rampant misogyny. For this reason, all eyes are now on the director’s next project which is currently in development: Dune.
Evidently, Villeneuve’s intention is to make a new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s lengthy 1965 science fiction novel, as opposed to remaking the 1984 film version, which requires a thorough process of examination of the source material. It seems that this process has now begun, too – with screenwriter Eric Roth set to deliver an adapted screenplay – and Villeneuve is considering the narrative influences that he sees Dune having had on George Lucas’ Star Wars.
“Most of the main ideas of Star Wars are coming from Dune so it’s going to be a challenge to [tackle] this. The ambition is to do the Star Wars movie I never saw. In a way, it’s Star Wars for adults. We’ll see.”
This is certainly an interesting take on the story of Dune, which centres on young nobleman Paul Atreides and his stewardship of the planet Arrakis. The desert world is threatened by conflicting factions of the feudal interstellar empire, elements of which clash over control of the rare and valuable spice, melange.
Dune is the first of six novels, but so far, Villeneuve seems to be approaching the project as a single movie, rather than a franchise. Although, these recent comments invoking Star Wars do suggest that there’s hope that the film might launch some sequels. With the director only now beginning to actively focus on Dune though, it’ll be quite some time before know the full scope of the project, but you can certainly color us excited to learn more.