All kinds of major movies have been delayed during the pandemic – but for those with an inclination towards massive sci-fi stories, Dune is the one that’s proved most painful. Frank Herbert’s dense tome is being adapted for the screen by Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, shooting for a much more faithful adaptation than David Lynch’s ‘80s attempt (which Lynch himself dislikes), with all the explosive bells and whistles of today’s blockbuster capabilities, and a sprawling cast to match. If all goes to plan (and dear god, please let all go to plan) the film will finally be arriving this October, and now a three-minute long second trailer has arrived. Be warned: it looks incredible.
Blimey. Doesn’t that looks like something? Adapting half of the Dune story (fingers crossed this one does well enough for Villeneuve to be able to make the second half), it sees the galactic dynasty of House Atreides shipped off to oversee the planet of Arrakis, a vast desert environment being mined for its valuable ‘spice’. But forces are conspiring against the family, son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) is having visions of Fremen (aka Arrakis-native) girl Chani (Zendaya), and war is looming. Oh, and mind-bogglingly huge sandworms are threatening to swallow everyone whole.
Between Arrival and his Blade Runner sequel, Villeneuve has proved a gifted director of science-fiction – and this looks like his biggest undertaking yet, wrangling a famously complex novel, a universe largely unfamiliar to mainstream audiences, and a huge budget. But it looks like this could be really special – and boasts an incredible cast, also including Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling, and many more.
Dune is expected to arrive in UK cinemas on 22 October – the same day it hits cinemas and HBO Max in the States. Catch you at the front of the queue.