Timothée Chalamet, a 25-year-old actor who gained worldwide fame after starring in the Jewish LGBT film “Call Me By Your Name,” is the lead in Hollywood’s latest big-budget production, Dune, released on October 22.
Directed by French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, Dune is an adaptation of the 1965 same-name science fiction novel by Frank Herbert.
The author wrote six books for the Dune series: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune.
His first Dune book, originally published as two serials in Analog magazine, tied with Roger Zelazny’s This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966, won the first-ever Nebula Award for Best Novel the same year and was cited as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel in 2003.
Hebert’s huge sci-fi epic has been deemed “unfilmable” due to its breadth and plot complexity. Previous attempts, including David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation, received negative reviews from critics.
But Villeneuve, known for directing the award-winning 2016 Arrival and 2017 Blade Runner 2049, officially signed on as director for the new Dune’s movie after Legendary Entertainment acquired the novel’s film and television rights in 2017.
This year’s Dune adaptation stars an ensemble cast comprising Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Stephen McKinley Henderson, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.
The director worked with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth to write the script, dividing it into two parts.
“I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie,” director Denis Villeneuve told Collider in 2019, adding: “The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.”
The movie is the first two-part film adaptation of the original book and covers the first half of the story. Its sequel, which has not been filmed yet, will be based on the second half of Herbert’s book.
Dune takes place in a very distant future where humanity has evolved scientifically and spiritually. It centers on Paul Atreides (played by Chalamet), a young man whose family agrees to manage “Arrakis” planet.
Despite being inhospitable and deserted, Arrakis is the universe’s only source of melange, or “the spice,” described as a drug that prolongs life and enhances mental abilities.
Melange, which is crucial for space navigation as it provides multidimensional awareness and foresight, is only produced on Arrakis. Therefore, while dangerous, the planet’s control is highly coveted.
Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation was filmed from March to July 2019 in several locations, including Budapest, Norway, Jordan, and Abu Dhabi. It is now available to stream on HBO Max.
