Principal photography has begun on the newest adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel "Dune."
Herbert wrote six novels in the series altogether, with "Dune" (Chilton Books, 1965) being the first. After his death in 1986, the author's son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have co-authored an impressive further 26.
The last time someone attempted to bring the story to the big screen came 33 years ago, with director David Lynch's film. That vastly underrated movie was an unparalleled masterpiece in production design, but it altered one or two elements of the source material more than some fans liked.
Brian Herbert recently tweeted that the cameras have begun rolling for the new adaptation.
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Cameras are rolling on the new DUNE movie, so we have a Greenlight. That is a really big step forward for Dune fans all over the world. I know Frank Herbert would be pleased, and I am proud of my father for creating such a great work of literature.https://t.co/oWGjazDdBoMarch 18, 2019
Fans are particularly excited for this new movie because the director, Denis Villeneuve, did an incredible job handling the sequel to another sci-fi property that inspires similarly extreme protectiveness from fans: "Blade Runner," directing that film in 2017. Despite serious misgivings over whether a "Blade Runner" sequel could ever be worthy of the original, Villeneuve proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the franchise was in the right hands.
In addition, the recent casting announcements have also met with much approval from "Dune's" feverish fan base.
Josh Brolin has signed on to play Gurney Halleck, the role previously played by Patrick Stewart; Oscar Isaac will make a formidable Duke Leto Atreides, previously played by Jürgen Prochnow; Jason Momoa will play Duncan Idaho, previously played by Richard Jordan; Dave Bautista will take on the meaty role of Glossu "Beast"' Rabban; Javier Bardem will play Stilgar; Stellan Skarsgård will play the delicious role of Baron Harkonnen … and on it goes. It's truly a dream cast.
"Dune" is being filmed on location in Budapest, Hungary, and Jordan and is slated for a Nov. 20, 2020, worldwide release.
According to IMDb, Villeneuve has confirmed that his adaptation will be split into at least two films so that the original story would be "preserved and not cut into a million pieces."
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