Filming for the much anticipated remake of the sci-fi classic Dune has started, according to recent social media posts by its stars Josh Brolin and Timothée Chalamet.
The new movie is a reboot of the 1984 film based on Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 science-fiction novel by the same name, and will see Brolin take on the role of Gurney Halleck, with Calamet playing his protege Paul Atréides. They are joined by a star-studded supporting cast made up of Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Oscar Isaac, and Zendaya. The film will be a two-part epic directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival), but it remains unclear whether the split will follow the original two serials, Dune World (1963) and The Prophet of Dune (1965), published in the popular Analog magazine.
Alongside the movie release next year, three new video game is also being produced by Funcom with gamers hoping that the new titles will live up to the hugely popular Virgin Games original, and not some of the series’ more mixed follow-ups. No word yet on which platforms the game will be released for, but Funcom chief executive, Rui Casais, was keen to point out his company’s decade of experience adapting sci-fi and fantasy films and books to games. He commented: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with legendary to bring the iconic Dune universe to life for gamers all over the globe”.
The story is set in the distant future and centres on the feudal power dynamics between planets, with the noble Atréides’ family tasked with protecting Arrakis, a sparse desert planet that is the universe’s sole supply of a drug called Melange that extends life and enhances mental abilities, from a growing evil empire looking to take control. A classic of 1960s sci-fi and written five years before astronauts landed on the moon, the tale explores politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion on a faraway world. It was a hugely influential work, winning both the 1966 Hugo Award and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. The book has since been translated into more than a dozen languages and sold more than 20 million copies around the world, making it one of the best-selling science fiction novels ever.
The new Dune movie is set for release in the US in 2020, with no date set for its UK premiere.
