Although respected and seen as an entertainment pioneer, David Lynch has created many works that have been divisive. Upon its 1984 release, his film
Dune was panned by many critics, but since then it has developed a cult following. The film took many liberties with Frank Herbert’s novel, including a change to the appearance of several characters, as well as a drastic alteration to the ending of the story.
In 2016 it was reported that
Blade Runner 2049 and
Arrival Director Denis Villeneuve would direct a new interpretation of the novel, and in a recent interview, Villeneuve clarified the direction the new adaptation will take:
“It will not have any link with the David Lynch movie. I'm going back to the book, and going to the images that came out when I read it.”
This statement provides fans of the novel with the assurance that this rendition of the sci-fi classic won’t make the same mistakes as the prior film. The director did, however, discuss that this was a personal movie for him, so I wouldn’t expect a shot for shot retelling of the book:
“I mean David Lynch is one of the best filmmakers alive, I have massive respect for him. But when I saw his adaptation I was impressed, but it was not what I had dreamed of, so I'm trying to make the adaptation of my dreams.”
Denis Villeneuve has been on quite a run lately, particularly in the sci-fi genre. At this point in time, it appears that fans of Frank Herbert’s novels are going to get a rendition that is both respectful and unique.