Dune 2018 (19,20,21...)
- Thread starter wayoung
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I admit, it's been a while since I read the book or watched the movie, but from what I remember, you can see where Lynch got ideas from the book, he just brought them to the screen in a very idiosyncratic Lynchian way.
I honestly that Dune would work better as a big budget full season TV series rather than just a movie. After seeing what they're doing with The Expanse I would love to see Syfy take another shot at Dune, with multiple seasons and a bigger budget this time.
The problem with a movie, even if it stuck closer to the books, is that they'll still be forced to focus on the spectacle and the big picture, and won't be able to get smaller, more subtle elements.
I like your idea of a t.v. series because there are so many nuances in Dune, mostly internal character observation and development. A feature length film, even one over two hours would miss out on so much. With that said, perhaps Villeneuve has some clever ideas provided he is given the green light to make a Dune movie.
Some of the short cuts and design choices that Lynch made seemed to have, probably unintentional, comedic effect. It would be nice to avoid those.
@psCargile @Red Shirt @JD If you go back to the original press release you'll see that the current plan is to adapt the novel over both a movie and TV show, Ala Dark Tower. So they have the budget for the big action moments and effects, while retaining the time for the character moments. Nothing is specified, but (pure, unsubstantiated) speculation has the first movie covering the first book in the novel, ending with the escape into the desert. Then the series takes over for the second act, establishing Paul's transformation into Muad'dib, and then another movie for the climax.
That sounds like a recipe for wasting $200 million or more with no profit to show for it.
It's a new way for doing things, for sure. I bet it is dependent on Dark Towers success.
I forgot about that, and it is an interesting idea. That way we can get some of the bigger action moments with a movie budget, and still get the quieter character stuff on TV where they can take their time. It could also give the show the advantage of being able to share special effect that were developed with a big movie budget.
If you mean an actual fifteen year old actor, don't hold your breath. At fifteen he's still a minor so there's child labour regulations, getting him a tutor in case the filming schedule cuts into the school year, and on. It's easier and more convenient to get someone in the 18-25 age range. Besides, the Dune series follows Paul well into adulthood, so they'll likely want an actor who can jump into adult Paul for the sequel as opposed to having to wait for fifteen year old Paul to grow or re-casting.
Yeah, the coming of age angle is hardly touched on even in the novel - it's mostly used to show how mature Paul is, how wise beyond his years. It's one area easily sacrificed for other, more pressing concerns.
I don't think they can keep Leto and Ghani as 9 year olds either (if they get that far - I'm still wary this initial film will ever get made). Even Moretz was 13 in Kick Ass. The mini turning them into teens did not negatively effect the production at all and added an additional, creepy sexual atmosphere that was an interesting way to go.
I don't think they can keep Leto and Ghani as 9 year olds either (if they get that far - I'm still wary this initial film will ever get made). Even Moretz was 13 in Kick Ass. The mini turning them into teens did not negatively effect the production at all and added an additional, creepy sexual atmosphere that was an interesting way to go.
I'm very happy Denis Villeneuve is officially directing Dune. Here's hoping it actually gets made.
Not just the rest of the series but the first book itself. Remember that by the end he's a married man with a (dead) infant son. It'd be a bit hard to pull that off convincingly with a 15 year old actor without it seeming creepy, to say nothing of Chani!
Not really relevant, but reading that part reminded me that Leto II was played by a pre-fame James McAvoy. I used to get a kick back when he was first getting attention in big Hollywood roles, and I'd act like a hipster and say things like "I was aware of him long before the rest of you." Actually, even some of my friends who are into Dune didn't recognize him right away. I remember seeing a commercial for one of the first movies he had a lead role in and saying "remember him when he was in Dune?" and my friend, shocked asked "he was in Dune?"
While I get you're referring to how much Paul matures over the course of events, just how much actual time does the book cover? It's something like two or three years, isn't it? Meaning Paul's around eighteen by the end anyway. And with Dune Messiah takes place a decade later, yeah, probably best to go with an actor in his early twenties in the first movie.
I would like to see Asa Butterfield as Paul.
