One of Denis Villeneuve’s longstanding dreams is to adapt Dune

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

It's no secret that I have become a big fan of Denis Villeneuve over the years; INCENDIES, PRISONERS, ENEMY and SICARIO, one after another they became some my favourite movies of the year, and now that he's putting his stamp on science fiction, well, I can't wait to see what he does with it. ARRIVAL played at the Toronto International Film Festival (check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray) and Villeneuve is currently in the midst of production on the BLADE RUNNER sequel, but it looks like those flicks weren't enough sci-fi for him and he spoke with Variety about his favourite sci-fi movies as well as his dream project, a remake of DUNE.

I had been wanting to do sci-fi for a very long time. “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a movie that really impressed me as a teenager. And also “Blade Runner.” And “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is also one of my favorites. I’m always looking for sci-fi material, and it’s difficult to find original and strong material that’s not just about weaponry. A longstanding dream of mine is to adapt “Dune,” but it’s a long process to get the rights, and I don’t think I will succeed.

Ever since David Lynch adapted Frank Herbert's "Dune" back in 1984, there have been rumours of a remake, but development on those projects frequently stalled and at the moment, the rights have reverted back to Richard P. Rubenstein. Lynch's DUNE was a box-office disappointment and the reviews at the time weren't overly kind, but the film went on to gain a cult following and a great many fans. DUNE does have its problems however and it'd be great to see what Denis Villeneuve would do with Herbert's franchise. Although he doesn't seem overly optimistic that he'll get the chance to remake DUNE, he does say that he has "two [sci-fi] projects right now that are in very stages, [but] it’s too early to talk about them."

ARRIVAL will hit theaters on November 11, 2016 and the BLADE RUNNER sequel will follow on October 6, 2017.