I read with interest this morning actor-director Peter Berg’s ruminations on his in-development movie version of Dune, science fiction author Frank Herbert’s epic, complex, and fairly endless tale of interstellar politicking and giant sandworms. I’m going to put my cards on the table here and say that I love the story of Dune. Not the actual book, you understand, though I have read it as well as several of the tome’s sequels. No, I refer to the fraught and complicated story of how Hollywood keeps trying, and failing, to turn Dune into box office gold.
During the ’70s a host of directors were involved in various attempts to bring Herbert’s work to the big screen including Chilean auteur and semi-professional madman Alejandro Jodorowsky whose fantastically odd planned cast included Orson Welles, Mick Jagger and Salvador Dali. Legend has it that the project’s script would have resulted in a 14 hour movie and, according to Herbert himself, was “the size of a phonebook,” though as the same could almost be said of the original book I’m not sure whether he meant that as a compliment or a complaint. Ridley Scott was also attached to the film for a while but it was David Lynch who eventually oversaw a completed adaptation which premiered in 1984. The result was a box office bomb that Roger Ebert described as an “incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time.” It also boasted the sight of Sting wearing what appeared to be futuristic diaper.
A few years back the SyFy Channel did attract a big audience for a miniseries version of Dune and a sequel, Children of Dune. Berg, meanwhile, says that his interpretation will be “significantly” different from both Lynch’s movie and the latter TV show. Part of me wishes him luck. But I’m ashamed to say that part of me also hopes the project adds another fiasco-filled chapter to this twisted tale.
What about you? Do you hope Berg finally manages to do justice to Herbert’s vision? Or are you secretly wishing the whole thing ill?
Why?? Don’t people get it that a)the book can’t possibly be adapted for the screen, it is just unfilmable! (is that a word?) and b) with respects to fans of the book, there just isn’t an audience for it, it would fail because no one will care for it and because, like the david lynch version (lord and he did try) it will be a mess.
It really surprises me that Hollywood still wants to make this.
You say that, but then again, what would you have thought about a LOTR franchise prior to “The Fellowship of the Ring.” It seems to me that right now, people are obsessed with the fantasy genre- LOTR, Harry Potter, Tales of Narnia, Pans Labyrinth just to name a few. I have always felt that DUNE was much more of a “fantasy” than a science fiction tale.
For the record, I think this is going to suck. Quite simply, Mr. Berg is an idiot.
I´m also preparing myself for a great disppointment. While I don´t agree with Nate that the story is “unfilmable” it would require a lot of talent and money. I don´t know about the money part but Berg as director surely precludes the talent part. Brian Herbert – who has made a business out of pissing on his fathers grave – is also involved.
I never read the books, but I like the 1984 movie.
Why try to make another Dune movie? I think the Sci-Fi Channel’s two mini-series did a fine job of bringing Frank Herbert’s vision to life.
I read Dune and absolutely loved Sci Fi’s Children of Dune. I consider myself a huge fan of Frank Herbert’s world, and wish Mr. Berg the best of luck. I probably would’ve preferred a more big-name director, since I haven’t seen any of Mr. Berg’s movies, but I trust he will do the series justice. Yay!!!
I saw Lynch’s version in the theater after reading three of the first four books (at that time). It had a different, stylized look, but definitely didn’t rank up there with Star Wars. (or Star Trek, or Battlestar Galactica for that matter.) People complain about Dune being incomprehensible, but come on. What has David Lynch done that does make a lot of sense?
Watching the trailer just now, I realized the problem. Dino de Laurentis. Who else would hire Eraserhead to direct an EPIC book, on a shoestring (relatively) budget? Not George Lucas, David Lynch is.
I don’t think Dune is unfilmable. I’m a fan of Lynch but he’s at his best when he’s filming his own material not adapting someone else’s. Berg has handled several big-budget moneymakers in addition to the “Friday Night Lights” TV show so, hopefully, he knows what he’s doing.
@ Chris the budget for Dune was huge but the film was cut to shreds still ok though.
Quote:-
“Berg, meanwhile, says that his interpretation will be “significantly” different from both Lynch’s movie and the latter TV show”
Thats sound odd since Children of Dune was amazingly good and well done.
Yes, Sci Fi’s Children of Dune was great. Loved Daniela Amavia, and then of course there’s James McAvoy. And ooh, Alice Krige vs. Susan Sarandon! Don’t even mind Sarandon’s space diva camp.
I’m a huge fan of the series (although I think Herbert’s son has made a mockery of said series – AND he’s also involved with the making of Berg’s version
YUCK) and I like the Lynch version too. The problem, to me, has been that most folks who wish to make it into a movie try to gain a “newer” audience. Which to me is the wrong approach. The film needs to focus on the “deeper” philosophical messages in the story instead of the battles and explosions. Every Dune fan I’ve ever known LOVES those aspects of the book. Herbert himself thought those were the most important threads of the story. The movie also NEEDS to take into consideration the other books too. Paul IS NOT a hero!!! He is a doomed messiah and, on a deep level, he already knows this at the tender age of 15 when the story starts. … In order for this movie to be good it MUST focus on those deeper elements and not the surface points in the story. … Finally, the hardest thing that Berg will face is trying to find another woman who can play the old Reverend Mother. Sein Phillips was, perhaps, the very best thing about the Lynch version and it will be a role that’s hard to live up to. Good luck Mr. Berg. I hope you do it justice. 
I like Brian Herbert’s books, not as much as Frank’s but still enjoyable.
Actually Frank’s first concern, and the concern of all author’s is entertainment. Let’s just hope Berg can bring the entertainment and at least some of the message of Dune, can’t be preachy but more so than the ecological story was in the movie Sahara vs it’s book counterpart. Needs to be there though and hopefully done right.
Paul is a hero, just in Dune Messiah is he not the hero, he is the focus of what it means to follow to closely a charasmatic leader.
Sigourney Weaver would make a great Reverend Mother.
I became a fan of Dune by seeing the movie and asking where it came from. So, I went to Barnes and Noble, bought said book… short, I’m addicted and am currently reading book four of the series. So a) a new vision of the masterpiece is something I would love to see and b) I think this will increase the number of people who will come to love Dune and Frank Herbert by experiencing the movie and asking, “where did this come from?”
I’ve always been a Dune fan, and without question it is still one of the best SciFi stories ever created. In my opinion it is right up there with Brave New World, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner), and 2001.
I’ll always be for Hollywood investing resources in creating a new version of Dune, which at its heart is an amazing story. I don’t think you can complain about this project when you consider the amount of resources Hollywood dumps on bad SciFi with juiced up SPFX.
I think David Lynch did a lot of noble things with Dune, however he is certainly to blame for some awful fiasco’s that took away from the timeless story of Dune – i.e. the Sting underwear, that weird ass cat with the poison antidote, the stupid weirding module, etc..
If Peter Berg concentrates on telling the story of Dune, with all of its deep complexities and themes, there is hope that it might be a success. Remember, many Fantasy fans never thought an adequate movie depiction of Lord of The Rings was possible, however it was done very well.
So here is to Peter Berg for chasing the Hollywood Dune Mirage. Much like in Dune he is going to be traveling through open desert, hopefully he can find his way out and finally deliver a Dune masterpiece to the silver screen.
I met the news that another Dune movie will be made with some dismay. I have been a huge fan of Frank Herbert’s first four books (found the last two hard work and I don’t like Brian’s books at all) for 40 years and found Lynch’s 1984 mangling of the story and dreadful screenplay unwatchable (I have made several attempts). I seriously believe it is one of the worst movies ever made and captured nothing of Frank Herbert’s vision. The two mini-series, whilst not without their problems, were much more faithful and successful efforts. I think that a two or even three hour movie can only skim the surface of such a multi-layered and fascinating story. I have often wondered if some enterprising animator could give it a shot as a series. It seems to me that this would be the ideal medium in which to successfully translate this to the screen.
Animation would be pretty cool, as it could have all elements of Dune, and made into a tv series, could have like 1 to 2 seasons per book.
I love all Frank’s books though, and 5 and 6 are some of my fav’s.
and I do like BH/KJA books, they might not be in the same quality but there still a fun read into a fascinating Universe.
I’m a huge fan of Dune. Do you think they will hand out a glossary so non-Dune book readers can undersand the language used in the movie better. I
they did hand out a glossary when I went to the 1st in ’84. I was young & thought it was a sequel to Return of the Jedi. i luagh about it now when I think about it. I was about 9 years old and walked out bewildered. I ran to the nearest book store and read all 6 books from front to back in about a months time and re-read them agian shrtly after that…. I was hooked & i still read Dune once a year.
Now, brian & his sidekick idiot have mangled the legacy to such a degree, his father has to be rolling in his grave. I wish Brian and Kevin would leave the series alone.
Nate, I’ve read it too. Dune is filmable. If they can make Lord of the Rings into a piece of excellent cinema, they can do the same with Dune.
The problem is that the project is never in the hands of a director who matches the material. Lynch is at heart a surrealist of the most bizarre kind. Jodorowsky is exactly the same. None of Peter Berg’s work has indicated that he has the emotional and thematic complexity required for Dune.
How come the Ridley Scotts and Peter Jacksons and David Leans (he was attached to Dune before Jodorowsky had even read the book) aren’t in charge of this?
Best book ever. I hope they do a good job. I liked the original as well, even though if you never read the book I can see how it would be confusing. Why shouldn’t they be able to make a good movie? The book has a wast universe just like Star Wars.