New Dune Movie Confirmed 482
bowman9991 writes "Peter Berg will be directing a new big-budget Dune movie from Paramount. SFFMedia reports that 'although there were some doubts that they were going to get it,' the producers have secured the rights to the Dune novel from Frank Herbert's estate and are looking for writers to provide a screenplay that is true to the original text. Can't wait!"
multiple sequels usually don't work too well (Score:3, Insightful)
Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
How many times are we going to do it? (Score:4, Insightful)
Ok ok, the first one [wikipedia.org] was a bit off (but it had Patrick Stewart and Sting!).
But the Sci-fi Channel version [wikipedia.org] was pretty good.
I just wonder what is to be gained by doing it again.
Re:Hope it's not like the mini series (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
The first Dune movie sucked. Maybe you never read the books, but it didn't capture much of anything good from the book. The made for TV mini series was amazing. That's how to do Dune.
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is not the director (Score:5, Insightful)
Obligatory (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Dune is rooted in Islamic Culture (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't need another remake of the first book, anyway. I'd much rather they made a movie on the second or third books.
Favorite Dune quotes. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Go Read A book (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, you would think they learned from peter Jackson that the closer to the book you hold, the more popular it is.
Besides, there's enough nerds out there, that if you get it close enough, they'll be chanting "The DVD is life!"
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
Any movie that is actually going to be worth watching is going to have to hack out big chunks of that stuff.
Seriously, stop remaking old ideas... (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, there's only one of two reasons why these are successful:
1) Nostalgia.
2) The idea was good the first time around.
We're rarely improving on the ideas at all. It's just mindless drivel rereleased again and again.
NBC's fall line up consists of a Jekyll and Hyde remake, followed by Knight Rider, followed by... A movie studio (not sure who) is making another "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", and yet another is making a sequel to Wargames [imdb.com].
Seriously Hollywood: stop. Just stop it. You're embarrassing yourself.
There are plenty of other books that you could make into movie that would translate well. For example, the Feist series of books, starting with Magician: Apprentice would translate pretty well to the screen.
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
I would agree with you in that I much prefer Lynch's version. However, the addition of the weirding modules (and the complete avoidance of the lasgun/shield interaction problem) almost ceompletely undermined Herbert's intended mockery of religion...
In the book, Paul (and Jessica) basically exploit the natives' superstitions to use them as pawns in a mostly-political game (although in fairness they do eventually "go native"). Lynch makes it out as more of a tune-in-turn-on-drop-out messianic fairy-tale.
Both have their merits, but I'd hardly even call them the same story.
Re:Please be LotR (Score:5, Insightful)
Reading the book can ruin the movie ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe, if you have not read the book. The 1980s theatrical movie had good acting and a good story but plot elements really knocked the movie down a notch, for example for many who read the book the sound based weapons were a strong negative. The Fremen won fights because their environment and culture made them tough, it was not a technological gimmick. The movie discarded a major element of the book, people adapting to and being influenced (culturally and physically) by their environment.
That was my problem with it, basically (Score:5, Insightful)
If you had already read the book, I guess it wasn't a bad movie. It had just enough visual clues to let your memory do the rest. So you can look an go, "ooh, I know, this is the Gom Jabbar sequence", and you'd already know what led there, where it goes from there, and why is that important. While the movie would move to the next scene and give you yet another piece, and again, it would be mostly up to your memory to fill in the gap and put the new scene in context too.
I, however, must have been one of the few who saw the movie before reading the book. In fact, I got the book only because the movie didn't make that much sense at times, and certainly didn't leave me with the awe for Dune that everyone else semed to have. (I know, I know, I'll hand in my nerd card now;) It wasn't a _bad_ movie per se, but in retrospect it just wasn't Dune. It was a mildly SF-themed action movie, where some guys fought for some desert planet, for some resource those guys had. And not only it was just as superficial as any other action movie (it could have been "Rambo Does Iraq" just as well), but the plot seemed a little bit condensed and rushed through even by action movie standards. Everything that made it... well, made it _Dune_, was at best hinted at, and sometimes it came via short scenes that didn't seem to make that much sense or have much relevance for the rest of the movie.
Again, in retrospect I can see how you'd figure it out if you had read the book already, and only used the movie as a visual summary. Without that background, I wasn't impressed much.
Can someone else do better? Heck if I know, to be honest. One can only hope. It's certainly impossible to do justice to the whole Dune story, you're right in that aspect. But maybe he can make a movie that at least makes sense on its own.
Wish they'd tackle Ringworld instead (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, Ringworld, on the other hand... That's a classic novel that just aches to be made into a movie. A simple, easy to follow adventure story, with interesting characters and plenty of potential for awesome visuals. *crosses fingers*
Re:Hope it's not like the mini series (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Dune is rooted in Islamic Culture (Score:3, Insightful)
That aside, you're reading into the minor parts that most likely to pad the story with details. The Kwizatz Haderach is simply a profit figure. It unites the Fremen to become the dominant power of the world (and quite violently so). That is very allegorical towards modern day extremist Islam.
The other theme is that the profit of the Fremen is not complete. The later books show this in that Leto II came and did away with the Fremen empire built by his father.
Not relevant to our times ... (Score:4, Insightful)
That is not relevant to our times, it is relevant to all of human history.
No, *extremists* are usually looking for any excuse or pretext to justify their actions. Legitimate grievances are not required.
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
That said, its a stunning movie. I've watched it many times and am always noticing something new. The design of the objects, sets, and costumes is extremely original and creative. It builds this dark alien sci-fi mood that no other movie has, perhaps with the exception of bladerunner. Its really an incredible piece of filmmaking and I hope the generation that associates Dune with the sci-fi channel should give it a chance.
Re:Reading the book can ruin the movie ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe, if you have not read the book. The 1980s theatrical movie had good acting and a good story but plot elements really knocked the movie down a notch, for example for many who read the book the sound based weapons were a strong negative. The Fremen won fights because their environment and culture made them tough, it was not a technological gimmick. The movie discarded a major element of the book, people adapting to and being influenced (culturally and physically) by their environment.
A-frickkin'-men-, brother.
Dune may have been dedicated to dryland ecologists, but we all know the book and series were for Anthropologists.
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:4, Insightful)
It is rather cynical, but not mocking.
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:multiple sequels usually don't work too well (Score:5, Insightful)
But I still think that any new movie has to be measured against this. As I have understood it that movie was cut down quite a bit. I heard that there was 8 hours cut out of the original filming. But I suspect that some of it were bad scenes and duplicates and that the remaining parts have been destroyed by now so a "full version" or anything else may be lost to the void.
But another question is - Why redo that book again? Let us see some other of the well-known authors filmed. Asimov's "Nightfall", Gordon Dickson's "Way of the Pilgrim", Frederick Pohl's "Gateway", Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" (which gave us the word "Grok") or "Citizen of the Galaxy", Keith Laumer's "Galactic Odyssey", Jack Vance's "The Demon Princes", Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination", Jack McDevitt's "A Talent for War", Brian Aldiss epic "Helliconia", Christopher Anvil's "Pandora's Planet", Steven Gould's "Helm", Alfred Elton van Vogt's "The Empire of Isher".
There are also books that are better suited for TV series of course. Gordon Dickson's Dorsai books and the many Sector General stories from James White.
And there are books/authors that has produced enough material to allow creation of an epic series that sure could take on Star Wars (but sure be very different) like Iain M Banks Culture novels, the "Hope" series of David Feintuch, Asimov's foundation books, Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" and following books.
But maybe this just indicates that Hollywood needs to play it safe - but I think that they play it too safe in this case. One movie that's available on DVD still and the mini-series that was released a few years ago must surely have blunted the market for a third movie on the same story.
Re:Hope it's not like the mini series (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How many times are we going to do it? (Score:3, Insightful)
Agreed.
Why not abuse another epic SF classic, like Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land [wikipedia.org]*, Asimov's Foundation [wikipedia.org], or perhaps even Delany's Dhalgren [wikipedia.org]?
Even Herbert had some other novels that would make awesome movies (Whipping Star [wikipedia.org], Hellstrom's Hive [wikipedia.org], The White Plague [wikipedia.org])...
(*I hesitate to even mention RAH, due to the inevitable flame war that his name inspires, and SiaSL is not the most cinematic story in his bibliography, but it's arguably his most thought-provoking work.)
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why not do another book in the series (Score:3, Insightful)
Though I doubt that the Muslim-ish-ness included in the book would make it okay for modern American audiences. As moronic as that sounds and is. You can here the commentators now "ZOMG MUSLIM HEROS! it endorses terrorism!"... God I hate modernity.
You definitely described my dream movie though, especially with the Viggo as Duke Leto bit. I full haredly endorse using Viggo for any kick ass roll. I'd prefer him as Stilgar though. I know the ages don't match, but it would kick as to see him running around with a crysknife killing shit.
The only thing I'd want to carry over from the 84 movie is the BIG set design, and epic feel.
I would be okay with Cronenberg, but I also wouldn't mind Peter Jackson giving it a LoTR treatment. LoTR is probably the most faithful treatment of "geek lit" to date. The only problem is I doubt these is anywhere in NZ that Arrakis could be set. Make it a full trilogy (first 3-4 books) too. The end of the first book, taken alone, makes to much of a "huh what next" moment to not move on to the sequels.
According to IMDB its being directed by Peter Berg, which doesn't make me hopeful.
Arabic and Islamic themes in Frank Herbert's Dune (Score:3, Insightful)
See Arabic and Islamic themes in Frank Herbert's Dune [baheyeldin.com].