COVID-19 has halted many Hollywood productions, but it's left many others in limbo as they've been unable to go back and film crucial reshoots which would ensure a 2020 release...assuming theaters are open in time, of course.
During a recent interview for the Shanghai International Film Festival (transcribed by Indie Wire), Dune director Denis Villeneuve addressed where things stand with his movie, and it could end up going right up to the wire.
"I was planning to go back and shoot some elements later because I wanted to readjust the movie," the filmmaker explained. "Time was a luxury that I had. I didn’t know that it would be a pandemic. So when the virus hit North America as we were about to go back to do those elements, the impact was that it crushed my schedule right now."
"It will be a sprint to finish the movie on time right now because we were allowed to go back to shoot those elements in a few weeks. It also meant that I have to finish some elements of the movie, like VFX and the editing, being in Montreal as my crew stayed in Los Angeles."
Villeneuve went on to explain that he's been doing his best to edit Dune from his home in Montreal, but admits that not being in the same room with his collaborators has posed some major issues.
"With my editor sharing equipment, being afar from one [another], but I realize how much editing is like playing music with someone, and you need to be in the same room," he explains. "There’s something about the interaction, human interaction, the spontaneity, the energy in the room. I really miss not being in the same room as my editor. It’s very, very painful."
Dune is currently set to be released on December 18th, but whether it's able to meet that date remains to be seen. You can check out the full interview with Villeneuve in the player below: