Is Denis Villeneuve the new master of science-fiction? Not only is he nominated for an Academy Award for Arrival and currently in post-production on Blade Runner 2049, it was also announced last week that he’s been signed by Legendary Pictures to direct a new adaptation of Dune! We’re not sure what form it will take, though. The announcement came in a Tweet from author Frank Herbert’s son, Brian, who called it “the exciting new Dune series film project.”
This could mean nothing, or it could mean that previous rumors about Legendary launching a franchise or TV series might be true. Would Villeneuve direct more than one movie? Would he be involved in any spinoffs? As usual, announcements like these usually come with more questions than answers. Whatever the case, I think it’s very exciting news that a director of such caliber is helming at least one Dune movie.
In Prisoners, Villeneuve proved he can do drama. In Enemy, he proved he can do bizarre. In Sicario, he proved he can do multiple storylines. In Arrival, he proved he can make abstract scientific theory accessible to the common moviegoer. What is Dune if not all of these things (and more)? I think he’s an excellent choice and lends legitimacy to a project that, in the past, has been very difficult to wrangle.
Then again, you can’t do much better than Sting in space-bikini briefs!
