Oscar Isaac: Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is nightmarish, scary

We still have a year to wait before director Denis Villeneuve's take on the classic Frank Herbert novel DUNE reaches theatres, but star Oscar Isaac has heaped some praise on the film while doing press for the latest STAR WARS movie.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Isaac said this DUNE is a "wholly different thing" from the previous adaptations, David Lynch's 1984 feature film and John Harrison's 2000 mini-series.

I couldn’t imagine anyone more suited for the tone of the original Frank Herbert novels than Denis. There are some things that are — for lack of a better word — nightmarish about what you see… There’s just this kind of brutalist element to it. It’s shocking. It’s scary. It’s very visceral."

Isaac plays Duke Leto Atreides in DUNE, with Rebecca Ferguson as his concubine Lady Jessica and Timothee Chalamet as their son

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence – a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential – only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Also in the cast are Stellan Skarsgard as the villainous Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Harkonnen's brutish nephew Glossu Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as the emperor's truthsayer Reverend Mother Mohiam, Javier Bardem as helpful tribe leader Stilgar, Josh Brolin as troubadour-swordsman Gurney Halleck, Jason Momoa as swordmaster Duncan Idaho, David Dastmalchian as the twisted Piter De Vries, Chang Chen as Atreides family physician Dr. Yueh, and Zendaya as Chani Kynes, "the girl of Paul's dreams". 

Villeneuve wrote the DUNE screenplay with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. He also produced the film with Mary Parent, and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Thomas Tull, and Kim Herbert executive producing. Kevin J. Anderson served as creative consultant. 

DUNE is set to reach theatres on December 18, 2020, and Isaac says he is "beyond myself with excitement. I think it's good to feel cool, unique, and special."

I'm not familiar enough with the world of DUNE to be excited about the adaptation at this point, but I hope it will live up to everything Isaac said about it.