David Lynch is a very eclectic and unique filmmaker that has a filmography to match. The director is also known for his unwavering honesty when it comes to the industry and his films in particular. This is why it should come as no surprise that when recently asked about the projects he's most proud of, he took the opportunity to briefly jab at the project he's absolutely not proud of.
Lynch's answer to the question of what projects of his own he's most proud of was met with a straight and to the point answer about the one project that he clearly believes is not his best work:
"Proud of everything, except Dune."
Lynch's disapproval of 1984's DUNE should come as no surprise if you followed his comments about the film over the years. DUNE may have a bit of a cult following now but the film received negative reviews upon release and sub-par box office. Lynch faced a lot of issues on DUNE behind the scenes and he has said in the past that "because it was a heartache for me. It was a failure and I didn't have final cut. I've told this story a billion times. It's not the film I wanted to make. I like certain parts of it very much – but it was a total failure for me."
Due to his unpleasant time with his adaptation of DUNE, the director has expressed "zero interest" in seeing Denis Villeneuve's take on the project which is set to open on December 18, 2020. This is not a dig at Villeneuve by Lynch whatsoever and his lack of interest would be the result no matter who took a new DUNE on. Lynch is just so haunted by his movie's difficult history that he just doesn't want to relive it ever again.
Warner Bros. describes DUNE as "a mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, Dune tells the story of 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."
Perhaps Villeneuve will have better luck with his DUNE adaptation opening in December. The film already has the benefit of a talented and stacked star-studded cast that includes Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. Here's to hoping that Villeneuve will be proud of his take unlike Lynch has been with his over the years.
Do YOU think David Lynch is too hard on DUNE? Have YOU come to enjoy it as a sci-fi cult classic?