Currently in the state of pre-production, the new movie adaptation of the classic Frank Herbert’s novel Dune is starting to get the main cast formed. After the already announced Rebecca Ferguson and Timothée Chalamet to play Lady Jessica and Paul Atreides respectively, The Hollywood Reporter made public this week that former wrestler turned to actor Dave Bautista has also signed to appear in the movie as “Beast” Rabban, the sadistic nephew of a baron who oversees Arrakis.
After directing Blade Runner 2049 (2017), the sequel of one of the most iconic science-fiction movies of all times, Canada-born filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is in the works of bringing his very personal point of view to another key piece in the genre. The first Dune novel was first published in 1965, and five more books followed it. Set in the distant future amidst a feudal interstellar society in which noble houses, in control of individual planets, owe allegiance to the Padishah Emperor, Dune tells the story of young Paul Atreides, whose noble family accepts the stewardship of the desert planet Arrakis. As this planet is the only source of the oracular spice melange, the most important and valuable substance in the universe, control of Arrakis is a coveted and dangerous undertaking. The story explores the multi-layered interactions of politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion, as the factions of the Empire confront each other in a struggle for the control of Arrakis and its spice.
This is not the first time Dave Bautista will be under the orders of Denis Villeneuve. The actor, better known for playing Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and the latest Avengers films, was Sapper Morton in the latest movie by the director Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Timothée Chalamet is set to play Paul Atreides, who using enhanced mental abilities will eventually rise to become the ruler of the wasteland and lead an army to overthrow the empire. And Rebecca Ferguson, who has been Ilsa Faust in the latest Mission: Impossible franchise entries and recently starred another science fiction title Life (2017), will portray Atreides’ mother, Lady Jessica, who escapes with Atreides into the desert and helps him become the savior.
Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune adaptation has been written by Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and the director himself, based in the original novel. Therefore, although the basic source is the same, it doesn’t work as a remake for Dune (1984), the fantastic and underrated version David Lynch wrote and directed several decades ago. Villeneuve is also producing along with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter under Legendary Entertainment.
It has been announced that his adaptation of Dune will be split into at least two films, in order to ensure that the original story would be “preserved and not cut into a million pieces“, said the director Denis Villeneuve. His plans are quite ambitious, as he hopes to make it the Star Wars he never saw, in his own words. In an interview, he explained that most of the main ideas of Star Wars came from Dune so it will be a challenge to tackle this project. Villeneuve even said, “In a way, it’s Star Wars for adults”.
