More Dune
Lets not forget the SciFi channels 5 hour (directors cut) version (no, not the unauthorized David Lynch / Alan Smithee version), or their rather good sequel - a combination of the next two books - clocking in at a mere 4 1/2 hours
Paramount prepares to scale Dune
Paramount Pictures has appointed Taken helmsman Pierre Morel to tackle a new cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi novel Dune, Variety reports. The movie will be based on a draft put together by producer Peter Berg - who quit the project to work on Universal's forthcoming Hasbro board game interpretation Battleship …
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Not Your Mother's Tibetan Method
Personnel: Bourne backup writer, director of The Transporter, uncredited actor from a Will Smith movie.
Content: too much action, too much unwarranted cgi, too little story (and what remains will not be anything like the book), no magic.
Oh, yes. I can really see this seeing off Lynch with ease.
Lynch film Financial success or not
It is still a film which I have difficulty believing they could even approach the quality of, let alone surpass. It's a classic for dog's sake.
Why don't they do Dune Messiah, or even better, God Emperor - I'd love to see that one on the big Screen.
Heretics
Actually, I'd much rather see an adaptation of "Heretics of Dune"... I've always wanted to see the Honored Matres in action... hmmm.... Might have to give that one an X rating....
(Icon: Paris Hilton... Or Murbella?)
Although I guess they could just remove it
A God Emperor movie? Nice idea but I think you're forgetting the "rope scene". You know the one I mean. It would be sort of awkward to see it on screen.
Herbert must have been off his tits when he wrote that book.
Not a financial success? Really?
The 1984 version remains one of my favourite movies of all time. It was just simply a classic. Please Please Please don't try and do a remake. It will just be another fluffy piece of cr@p like all remakes nowadays...
Weird Abberation
The 1984 movie was an abberation full of non-canon junk like the "wierding modules".
The TV Mini-Series was a darn sight more effective at bringing the books to screen.
Phew
Thought I was the only one who remembered the criticisms the Lynch movie received from Dune fans.
I also agree about the mini-series (note it was multiple, though I never got to see Messiah).
The Wierding Way
Movies are not about 'bringing the books to the screen'. The wierding modules were, in fact, a pretty clever plot device. The TV series, on the other hand, was quite incredibly dull and cheap looking - there's nothing worse than cheap CGI.
Maybe
The lynch movie was not at all accurate to the book, but I probably have watched it more times than I have Star Wars IV.
It made me read the book, certainly, I would say Dune the book (well the first 3 books anyways), would be amongst the top space operas ever.
That miniseries was perhaps more accurate but I found it shockingly bad, I hated the actors.
They won't improve on this one
I agree - the mini-series version is excellent and a true telling of the first two books.
Series 1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frank-Herberts-Dune-TV-William-Hurt/dp/B00005QG3Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262696466&sr=1-1
Series 2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Dune-DVD-Ian-McNeice/dp/B001ATWK08/ref=pd_cp_d_h__1
The Mini-Series Wasn't Bad
The books are very cerebral. It gets more and more convoluted as the series progresses. I stopped reading them after I attempted God Emperor, and fell asleep.
I suspect that a lot of narration would be necessary.
Amazing story, though. The first three books would be worth a decent adaptation.
It's a shame you gave up...
... because after the turgid tedium of God-Awful of Dune, the series actually picked up nicely.
I have 1 word for that comment...
Navigators... as weird as the D.Lynch ones were, they were closer to teh book that the swamp mosters from the miniseries.... that totaly put me off...
Must Do Better
I thought the previous film was very poor. As a standalone story it was OK, but in terms of being faithful to the books it was dire. Weirding modules and rain at the end of the film were bad. Using condoms as worms was amusing though.
For a better interpretation, the Dune miniseries that covered the first three books was pretty good and did at least follow the story line.
Of course, now that his son has picked up the baton, there's a good storyline from the Butlerian Jihad all the way through to Kralizec at the end, so there's an incentive to stay close to what Herbert wrote.
also enjoying the prequels
think he is doing a good job with them
not sure about the film though, I fear cgi hell and god forbid more bloody unnecessary 3D
EWWWWW!
Not Brian and Kevin's sequels, prequels and the rest, please, Nooooo!
I'm an easy reader to keep happy, I'll willingly suspend my disbelief as much as you like. I won't analyse too much (unless asked to), I'll just enjoy the journey and the fantasy world. The Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson books are some of the very few that have ever broken me out of the reading trance with thoughts about how cheap that particular plot device was, or how shabby the writing.
Hunters and Sandworms were basically an excuse to have their cliche'd two dimensional add-on characters interact with FH's and try to gain some legitimacy by proximity. They end in a huge series of Deus-ex-Machina events that are a poor excuse for not being able to write a real plot.
I know, I know, I still read them all. I'm my own worst enemy and I shouldn't be encouraging them to write more.
Hmm,
suspiciously middle-eastern men fighting a guerrilla holy war against the people who have come to their desert in order to seize a valuable resource.
I'm sure that'll go down well in some quarters.
Gloryfying terroism
Hum, Isn't that illegal in the UK now?
Prescient, eh?
Herbert was rather ahead of the curve, wasn't he now?
@mwk
"suspiciously middle-eastern men fighting a guerrilla holy war against the people who have come to their desert in order to seize a valuable resource.
"I'm sure that'll go down well in some quarters".
Yes, that was what Herbert intended. He always had an understanding of, and empathy for, the underdog and suspicion of the establishment view. In "The White Plague" he wrote a few things that British people might find uncomfortable, too. While the Jorj X Mckie stories (The Dosadi Experiment, Whipping Star) are fundamentally about the necessity of subversion and the disastrous harm caused by monolithic governments. BuSab is one of the great creations of the human mind, IMHO. (As well as being riotously funny). See, e.g.
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~shipman/reading/mckie.html
I suppose he would have been if...
...no one had ever made a film called LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
I for one welcome...
... a new interpretation of a fantastic novel.
The '84 film was good in some ways (Sting) but a complete dog in so many others. Weak dialogue, crappy special effects, and so much storyline was skipped. Wonder if they're going to have a go at the whole 11-book series? If they can script it as well as the guys that scripted Lord of the Rings, it could be fantastic.
Oh, and I'm pretty sure "witer Josh Zetumer" is actually a writer - unless he's taken up where Michael Jackson left off...
11?
There are 15 at the time or writing, with more on the way I'm sure....
Really?
That movie was scripted well?
watch them all together, and then try to remain with that stand point.
the story was like a midgets version of brokeback mountain, in new zealand. oh yes, and walking.
12 solid hours of bloody walking.
Casting suggestions....
If the studio gets their claws into it, expect:
Lady Jessica - Sandra Bullock
Leto Atreides I - Vince Vaughn
Chani - Kristina Kreuk
Paul Atreides - Zac Efron
Duncan Idaho - Will Ferrell
Also expect reimagining as "sci-fi action comedy" - except all the interviews will have the cast banging on about how "it's about the people so it's not really sci-fi".
Woot! Anyone got worse suggestions than that?
@Will Shaw
Now I'm even more depressed...Becuase you're right.
I accept that challenge!
Jessica: Susan Boyle
Duke Leto: Louis Walsh
Chani: Cheryl Cole
Paul: Simon Cowell
Duncan: Dermot O'Leary
Dune - To The X-Factor!
@ Casting suggestions
Worse suggestions;
Lady Jessica - Jennifer Anniston
Leto Atreides - Kevin Costner
Chani - Megan Fox
Paul Atreides - Hayden Christensen
Duncan Idaho - John Cusak
Battleship
Not only is Hollywood remaking Dune, but they are also making a film based on the board game Battleship?
Talk about running out of ideas.
Coming to theatres 2014: He played X, she played O, then it was a tie...TIC TAC TOE
TIC TAC TOE
I thought they had already done that with War Games.
Shall we play a game, anyone?
Not onle Battleship...
The Hasbrough licensing team must have been busy because a movie version of Monopoly is also in the making =O/
i do not beleive this
how can you have a movie based on battleships? it's the stupidiest idea ever
perhaps it will have an M. Night Shyamalan twist at the end where, you think he'd finally found the 5 squares of the last enemy battleship, but it turns out to just be a submarine and a cruiser together in a line
But wait, there's more!
The worst part isn't that they're making a movie out of Battleship, but that Peter Berg (whoever that is) apparently quit the Dune project to work on it. Huh? Say what you want about remakes, at least Dune is a story. I can't even imagine how you fill two hours with little plastic pieces on a grid.
Here's a little career cheat sheet. If you currently do any of the following jobs, trade it up to work on Battleship: The Movie:
1. Suicide bomber
2. Crash test dummy
3. Human resources
4. Fluffer
Anything else, be happy where you are.
Wouldn't it make more sense...
...to properly restore / re-edit / FINISH the brilliant David Lynch version? This film could be a bona-fide classic if someone bothered to finish it.
Because, let's face it, any remake now is bound to be another Donny Jepp / Willy Wonka style atrocity.
(yeah yeah, I know it's all about money and doing it all in "3D" (more accurately called 'dodgy stereo').)
I've said it before...
wHollyWeird is creatively bankrupt. That's why it has increasingly turned to doing sequels and remakes because it can trade on the original title's success rather than risk anything on an unknown.
It could be construed as their latest anti-piracy measure. "If we turn enough crap out, nobody will want to fileshare our titles!" Can you spot the flaw?
Can't be worse than Lynch's effort
The Lynch movie was a mess. The SciFi channel TV adaptation was much closer to the novel, although it was let down slightly by the fact that the guy playing Gurney Halleck is one of the worse actorsever to be committed to celuloid/digital image. Guess he was always onto a loser though as his performance would get compared to Patrick Stewarts. Even so, he was dreadful.
@Runcible Spoon
SciFi also did a creditable adaptation of Dune Messiah/Children of Dune (unfortunately still with the same bloke cast as Halleck). No sign of God Emperor yet though!
Icon for the "weirding module" sonic weapon Lynch invented for his movie, along with the Sardaukar troops who coultn't breath normal air. Hopefully these will not be in the new version.
Indeed!
Oh God!!! I'd almost forgotten about the travesty that played Gurney Halleck, and his constant refarins of "Young Pup" (which was only said on one occasion in the book and about 500 in the mini-series)...
Pants
Surely it's not possible to top Sting in a pair of rubber underpants
I always liked the Lynch version
The Lynch film is what got me into the books in the first place, although personally I didn't like the rest of the series that much.
I saw Taken last year and I thought it was really good, so I'm optimistic they will be able to make something cool.
Personally I'd chop the story into three and make a trilogy so that there's no need to cut any of the material out. I'd finish the first film with the Harkonnen invading and taking over Arrakis again, the second around the time the Fremen take back Arrakis and then make the third follow the last portion of the book and then add a new bit covering the Fremen's Jihad across the galaxy. I know that's not in the book, but it should keep the Michael Bay audience happy with plenty of action!
Lynch Doesn't Deserve The Mocking
OK, OK, he left out a huge amount of story and plot, and then re-interpreted and added to the story to get away with it.
But for picking the right people to play the characters....1st Class.
From the over-the-top excesses of all the Harkonnen characters (The Baron was spot-on) down to the seriousness and Discipline of the young Paul Atredies (one reason I Never got in to the mini-series - A PETULANT Paul Atredies!!) excellently played by Kyle MacClachan. As for Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck and Everett MacGill as Stilgar... Who could have asked ask for more?
Unfortunately, I reckon this will be TOO much like the mini-series and not concentrate on the characters enough (Anyone who has read a lot of Frank Herbert, not just Dune, will know that his books are all about the Characters to bring out the story) - It might make a passing semblance at staying true to the original story.... right up until there is the prospect for excessive but non-essential CGI or just to focus on Eye Candy - and you guys who keep saying that the mini-series remained faithful to the books should remember that the Irulan character (amongst many others) is virtually NOT IN the 1st Book at all, and yet there she is constantly appearing in the mini-series, with a whole new role added to the story just to keep the gratuitous glamour shots rolling in.
Get the right people, understanding and playing the right characters and the film will be a winner.
Oh Yeah - And No Condoms over Bent Wire Coat hangers for Sand Worms would be a bonus
The Baron was spot-on? Really?
The other characters were pretty good, but the Baron? He was portrayed as almost completely insane!
The Baron in the book is calm, collected and one hell of a plotter. A very dangerous adversary!
Is a 50750 thing
As i read the books i imagined someone with the look, voice and demeanor of the D.Lynch movie but with the public persona and machinations shwon in the series. but given a choice i would get the lynch version, we know the plotting and scheaming was there, it was just an over the top performance, but in my opinion perfect.
Love the Lynch film
Yes it was nothing like the book. But the imagary was great (Toto even did a good job of the sound track), it's a difficult book to put to film and appeal to the normal punters as it deals with with many social/political aspects, other than the main book, there is not much action in the others.
Dune - Unfilmable
I read the books and have watched both the 1984 version and the miniseries and remain firmly of the opinion that Dune is simply unfilmable, there is simply *too* much happening to translate it from paper to the big screen and make it less than 8 hours long.
Lynch's 84 version received a lot of poor reviews and he removed his name from the credits using the Smithee alias. The film was bandied about between various people beforehand (pre-production started around 72) including I believe the likes of Ridley Scott before Lynch got a hold of it, having turned down Return Of The Jedi (*sob*). 84 version of Dune was going to be split into two films but it never happened and we ended up with a pretty poor version that only vaguely resembles anything in the books, weirding modules etc. Please don't film this, it simply cant be done proper justice.
Hmm
As long as at the end of the film someone kills Sting, I suppose it would be ok.
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