Source: Warner Bros. / WB
Dune is perhaps the great science fiction novel of all time but has yet to get a proper live-action adaptation despite two major attempts. A new trailer for the upcoming film reveals more details and looks to be one of the most highly anticipated films of the year.
The latest trailer for Dune features Timothée Chalamet, who plays the reluctant messiah to the Fremen, Paul Atreides aka Paul Muad’Dib. The clip also features Zendaya, who plays Chani, and her voice opens up the trailer as she explains how the proud desert-dwelling Fremen people of Arrakis, also known as Dune, have been invaded by ruling powers across the Imperium who wish to control melange or space, a powerful substance only found on the barren planet.
The trailer also features Jason Momoa as the swashbuckling and loyal Atreides warrior, Duncan Idaho, and Josh Brolin as the sour-faced and equally dangerous Gurney Halleck. Oscar Isaacs portrays the tragic figure of Duke Leto Atreides, who inherits rulership of Arrakis but it is a plot launched by the evil Baron Harkonnen, Stellan Skarsgård. Rebecca Ferguson plays the Bene Gesserit witch and royal concubine, Lady Jessica, Duke Leto’s true love and also a fierce fighter in her own right.
In 1984, David Lynch adapted the book into a film that was panned by critics but has since become something of a cult classic. However, the technical limitations of creating the advanced technology and world of Herbert’s Dune were difficult to pull off in the 1980s. At the turn of the century, the SyFy channel rolled out a mini-series that got the story closer to its fantastical roots but still fell short.
Director Denis Villeneuve helmed the film, which was originally slated for December 2020 but delayed due to the pandemic. Villeneuve has been critical of Warner’s decision to release the film in theaters and on the HBO Max service and cast members supported the criticism.
Dune will make its debut on October 22.
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Photo: Warner Bros.