Will There Ever Be a Great Film of Dune?
Lynch couldn’t crack it. Can Villeneuve?
Dune, by Frank Herbert, is my favourite science fiction novel. It’s a vast, epic, multi-layered, immersive world filled with Machiavellian intrigue, political allegory, religious satire, a touch of romance, and monstrous giant worms. Yet for all its imaginative brilliance, it has proved stubbornly resistant to a satisfying big-screen treatment. From Alejandro Jodorowsky to David Lynch, Herbert’s masterpiece has defied attempts at being turned into cinema. The latest director to attempt this foolhardy project is Blade Runner 2049 helmer, Denis Villeneuve. Will he succeed where others have failed?
For those unfamiliar with the plot, I’ll try and outline the basics. Bear with me, as the narrative density requires some explanation, and at least partially accounts for the current catalogue of adaptation failures.
Set in the year 10,191, Dune concerns the Spice Melange, found exclusively on the desert planet Arrakis. This Spice enables space travel for the all-powerful and hugely secretive Spacing Guild. It is also an addictive, psychotropic drug that grants long life and precognition; something exploited by the not-quite-as-secretive Bene Gesserit Sisterhood.
