"Children of Dune" miniseries

[Tulin]

I have had this now for YEARS and have been sitting on it, waiting for a good time to watch it. Anyway, cracked this open on Saturday and watched the first disc.

Just had a question. Is the first disc just "Dune Messiah"?

I ask because it feels like the end of the story right there. I assume the final two discs are CoD, especially because I remember that book being more than double the size of DM, thus the greater time given to it.


Anyway, so far what I have seen is great and the production values seem really high. Oh I was also shocked to see the Reverend Mother murdered(although it was well overdue and she deserved it). Looking forward to watching the next two over Xmas.

 

[Skywalker]

Yeah, part one covers Dune Messiah, and parts two and three cover Children of Dune.

I really liked the miniseries (both of them, really). I wish they'd give CoD a special edition like they did with the first one.

 

[Harvey]

Indeed, part one is Dune Messiah, and parts two and three are Children of Dune.

Its a great miniseries, better, in fact, than the first (although I like that one a great deal as well). It's a shame nothing further in the Dune universe was ever realized on the sci-fi channel. After rumors of a television series, an adaptation of God Emperor, and even an adaptation of the average House books...nothing has materialized. A shame.

 

[Haytil]

I thought, narratively, Sci-Fi's adaptation of "Dune Messiah" (that is, part 1 of their CoD miniseries) was much stronger and tighter than the adaptation of "Children of Dune" (parts 2 and 3 of the CoD miniseries).

 

[V]

there's always, even still today, one or two random idiots who will yell "OMG! They condensed Dune Messiah and Children of Dune!" or even, based purely on the title, "OMG, they skipped Dune Messiah!"

....without realizing that simply....Dune Messiah is a very short book. It can be and was accurately adapted with only the first two hours of the miniseries.

It's like the fourth "chapter" of the three-chapter original Dune book. Further, it in no way stands on its own and is obviously a linker to Children of Dune.

 

[Tulin]

I like your sig, V.

Based on what I have seen of that mess(BSG), I think the RC makers were more accurate than they realized.

 

[Hyperspace05]

Children of Dune is great... I really should watch it again soon.

Plus the score/soundtrack is absolutely brilliant - perhaps the best movie score I have ever listened to. It works so well as a whole, yet has so many standout tracks, like "House Atreides", "Imana Nushif", and many more. Pieces of the score is frequently used as trailer music too, this really seemed to be Brian Tyler's breakthrough work in Hollywood.

 

[Anwar]

Whatever problems there were with the original Dune TV mini, Children corrected them all and showed how an adaptation of Dune should be done.

 

[Mysterion]

Whatever problems there were with the original Dune TV mini, Children corrected them all and showed how an adaptation of Dune should be done.

Except for the recasting of Stilgar, maybe.

 

[AJBryant]

Inama Nushif is one of my favorite pieces of music ever written.

I used to listen to it every day. You've just reminded me I'm long overdue to hear it again. Thanks!

The montage of the Atreides "cleaning house" as the song is sung is hauntingly cool. It always reminded me of the end of The Godfather -- sacred (sounding) music played over vignettes of impressively determined violence.


Tony

 

[Starbreaker]

That scene is a cinematic masterpiece. I wish I could watch it right now.. but I let somebody borrow it who never returned it!

 

[clint g]

Ahhh Children of Dune. Such an amazing mini series. I was actualy surprised at how well it turned out. I didn't want them to merge Dune Messiah and Children of Dune together but it turns out no harm was done.

And yes, Inama Nushif is one of the best pieces of music ever.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Children of Dune is maybe my favourite mini-series and a pretty faithful adaptaion of both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune with a few alterations. I'm still waiting for a God Emperor of Dune adaption from John Harrison, apprently he attempted writing a script a few years ago but abandoned it due to complexity.

 

[Anwar]

Whatever problems there were with the original Dune TV mini, Children corrected them all and showed how an adaptation of Dune should be done.

Except for the recasting of Stilgar, maybe.

Well yes, but the replacement was still a good actor.

 

[Broccoli]

Yeah, part one covers Dune Messiah, and parts two and three cover Children of Dune.

I really liked the miniseries (both of them, really). I wish they'd give CoD a special edition like they did with the first one.

Ditto.

 

[S. Gomez]

Funny, although I loved the first miniseries I couldn't quite bring myself to say the same for Children of Dune. But I think that has more to do with me not enjoying the story as much as the first one. In fact, I have yet to read the books past halfway into Heretics of Dune; they just became harder to get through.

That being said, I enjoyed CoD enough, even though it did take a couple viewings to get the nuances of what everyone was doing (plots within plots). I wasn't wild that they recast some parts, but it still worked. And, as has been said, it's a fairly faithful adaptation of the source material, which always counts for something in these things.

 

[Michael Chris]

Children of Dune is a great miniseries. Speaking of Dune, anyone heard anything more about the planned big screen adaptation?

 

[Hugo Rune]

CoD is a wonerful piece of television and what caught my eye back then (and I'm glad to have been on the money with this one) was how brilliant James McAvoy was as Leto. The big drawback on the Dune installment for me was some of the very stiff acting. By CoD most of the kinks appeared to have been worked out, acing wise, and McEvoy was a revelation. On seeing the mini for the first time I said to myself "He's going to be big".

McAvoy has a long way to go, but he has proven himself to be an exceptional little actor.

What also stood out in this mini was the quantum leap in acting ability (or change in direction) of Alec Newman as Paul. He was simply stunning in the Dune Messiah section. He needs more work, pronto!

And, now, finally after years of it being priced at over £25 they have brought the price down on the UK DVD set of CoD, so I think Ill treat myself for the upcoming birthday and splash out on the £10


Hugo - I meddled in the future, in all possible futures, trying to create them. Instead they created me... and I became trapped by it.

 

[Plain Simple]

I really liked both the Dune and CoD miniseries. And I'm not bothered by the fact they stopped there, since the first three Dune novels can easily be seen as a finished trilogy by themselves. Although I wouldn't mind getting more novel adaptations of this quality!

Children of Dune is a great miniseries. Speaking of Dune, anyone heard anything more about the planned big screen adaptation?

I think the only thing I ever read about this was on the Dune novels website (www.dunenovels.com) were it said that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson were going to be involved (that's going to divide fans over the film before it's even released I guess).

Ah, here it is (http://www.dunenovels.com/blog/page031.html):

DUNE BLOG Tuesday, March 18, 2008


New Dune Film from Paramount

We've been working on this for years, and we can finally make the proper announcement. Brian Herbert and I will be official co-producers on the film.

-- KJA



From Variety Daily (March 17, 2008):

Berg to direct 'Dune' for Paramount

Misher producing adaptation of sci-fi novel By TATIANA SIEGEL

Peter Berg is attached to direct a bigscreen adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel "Dune" for Paramount Pictures. Kevin Misher, who spent the past year obtaining the book rights from the Herbert estate, will produce via his Par-based shingle.

Herbert's 1965 novel is a sweeping, futuristic tale set on the remote desert planet Arrakis, which produces the interstellar empire's sole source of the spice Melange -- used for distant space travel. An empirewide power struggle ensues over the control of the spice. Berg would be the latest helmer to take a crack at the property, which spawned a 1984 David Lynch film as well as a 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries starring William Hurt.

The project is out to writers, with the producers looking for a faithful adaptation of the Hugo- and Nebula Award-winning book. The filmmakers consider its theme of finite ecological resources particularly timely.

New Amsterdam's Richard Rubenstein, who produced Sci Fi's "Dune" and sequel "Children of Dune," is also producing alongside Sarah Aubrey of Film 44, Berg's production banner. John Harrison and Mike Messina exec produce.

Paramount envisions the project as a tentpole film.

Berg and Misher enjoy strong ties dating back to Misher's executive days at Universal Pictures. Misher also produced Berg's second directorial outing, "The Rundown." Actor-turned-helmer Berg most recently directed the upcoming Will Smith starrer "Hancock." His directing credits include "The Kingdom" and "Friday Night Lights."

 

[Anwar]

But wasn't the screenwriter of Dune and Children going to be an Exec producer?