Paramount has found a new director for its remake of the sci-fi classic Dune, after Peter Berg dropped off the project in October. The studio has hired Taken helmer Pierre Morel to oversee the movie. Paramount is currently looking for a new writer to incorporate Morel’s vision of the project into the original draft by Quantum of Solace scribe Josh Zetumer. Morel plans to make a very faithful adaptation of the 1965 book by Frank Herbert. The movie is a high priority for Paramount’s production chief Adam Goodman. Kevin Misher and Richard Rubinstein are producing.
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Yes, but who could ever replace Sting in a metal loincloth?
Hopefully, someone who can really act.
Adam Lambert…
Adam Lambert probably has an outfit already that’d work out well. It’s too bad Chris Farley isn’t with us anymore, he’d rock it hard as Baron Harkonnen. “…Fat guy in a little suit, fat guy in a little…”
What’s in the box?
Well, I actually enjoyed Taken. So this might turn ok.
Agreed. But did you see Quantum of Solace?
Yeah! It was great.
It’s terrible. Like bottom 3 of Bond movies.
Good thing Marc Forster directed that and not Pierre Morel…
WHAT!!?? Is this a reboot?
They need to take care. It’s not an easy story to translate to the big screen as we have seen with both the 1984 film and 2000 mini-series. Please no metal loincloths in this one! And no overpaid rock stars pretending they can act either.
The mini-series was a lot better than the Lynch movie.
Agree!
here here! Go SCiFI Channel!!!
The scifi miniseries was by far the best. They should not do this movie.
Are you kidding me !?! Mini-series was so terrible and cheesy that I couldn’t even watch it without hitting the skip scene button on the remote. Sucked so bad !
i dont know why they are bothering with this. dune is practically unfilmable
I actually kinda like the David Lynch adaptation of Dune. Granted, I used to do a lot of hallucinogens.
I watched Dune once under the influence of MAD HONEY! I wrote about it in the style of XENOPHON…I think I’m still recovering…
Thalatta! Thalatta! The spice extends life, the spice expands consciousness, the spice is vital to space travel.
The Lynch version had the perfect cast and out of this world art direction, and I think the first half-hour or so goes well. But then there’s a big surreal train wreck. Still, in my mind, when I reread the book, I’m picturing the world as shown by Lynch.
It’s not as dense as Lord of the Rings. It has a fairly straightforward plot. If they can properly incorporate the religious allegory it would have a lot of resonance for our time.
I saw the Lynch version before I read the book. I can’t picture it being done any other way now and loved the music by Toto.
“…Plans to make a very faithful adaptation of the 1965 book by Frank Herbert”? Yeah… That’s what they always say. Just like Lucy always says “don’t worry, Charlie Brown, this time I won’t pull the football away. I PROMISE!”.
I loved both versions of Dune. If those movies were to have crazy film sex and produce a film offspring, it would be a winner. But the idea of taking a highly stylistic version (Lynch’s) with the more faithful and looooong version (miniseries) is about as crazy and improbable as two movies gettin’ it on. A girl can dream…
Well I am glad Berg is off the project. I just don’t think he’s right for it. Then again, I really LOVE the Lynch version…. I’d like to see him make a sequel! OK not going to happen, but that TV version was crap.
I couldn’t be happier about Berg being off the project (heck, any project). I’m so *not* a Berg fan.
I don’t think you //can// do Dune justice in 120 pages/2 hours. It’s just not possible. The 2000 Mini-Series was solid though but it clocked in at 6 hours. Anything less than a Peter Jackson-esque adaptation will just cheapen Herbert’s story and piss a lot of people off imho.
Agreed. But if they have Toto doing the soundtrack, I’m there!
“i guess it rains down in Africa”
Your explaination makes sooo much more sense then my comment above (under Chappel). There’s just so much going on during a long period of time, even if the movie clocked at 3 hours, the script would still have to be cut out.
A two parter with two hours each would just about do it. It’s not a three volume multi-narrative story like LOTR. All they have to do is allude to most of the backstory and follow Paul’s tranformative story and they have it. Oh yeah, and lose the silly voice boxes, baseball caps, and cheesy special effects from the Lynch movie.
Agreed – needs to be at lease a 3 part film like LOTR.
I just hope it gets done right this time…maybe 3x’s the charm!
Jodorowsky’s version would have been the best. Hervé Villechaize, Salvadore Dali, David Caradine and Mick Jaggs in one movie?–like an expensive season of the surreal life!
I’m not a fan of the original movie (don’t shoot me, just expressing an opinion!). I did, however, enjoy the miniseries almost as much as the book, so I now have to quote one of my all-time favorite movies, “Murder By Death,” and say that a “Dune” re-make is “like television set on honeymoon – unnecessary!”
The first film was crap. Lynch did better when he was directing TV in the Washington woods.
LOL, I love Murder by Death too!!
This story and similar stories has been told in Hollywood many times before, Look at Avatar similar story different place.
did you just compare Dune and Avatar? Are you kidding me?
wow, this is awesome. right after i walked out of avatar i said to myself
“this technology means someone can make Dune now!”. Neither the lynch nor the miniseries captured the scope of the book, the grandeur. hopefully this new one can…
I agree. While I liked Lynch’s vision of Dune(I’m a huge Lynch fan, sorry) I would really like to see a true vision of the book made into film. Hopefully will all of the advances in special effects this director will do the book justice. At least they got rid of Peter Berg (I read he wanted to cast Robert Pattinson in the film; never said which role, however).
Well the casting would guarantee that the movie would be a hit – not that it would be good.
I said EXACTLY the same thing to my friend while walking out!
why remake Dune in the first place. They can’t get any better than the SCI FI mini series
I can’t believe there hasn’t been more backlash to the idea of a book with the pure scope of Dune being directed by someone who.. well, made Taken.
But I’ve been wrong before..
Due to nostalgia I really do appreciate Peter Berg. While it wasn’t exactly a great film I did enjoy him in Shocker when I saw it back when I was extremely young. It’s possible that he still has some untapped potential as a director but Dune needs someone with experience in making epics.
While Morel may have deserved more credit for Taken,but he still doesn’t exactly ooze confidence here.