Dune is gearing up to be one of 2020's most ambitious and exciting movies. That is, if it sticks the landing as far as the December release date is concerned. We sincerely hope it does, because this adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel has lined up a formidable array of talent.
Let's start with director Denis Villeneuve, whose back-catalogue includes Blade Runner 2049 and Sicario. He's adapting Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel with Forrest Gump's Eric Roth and Prometheus' Jon Spaihts. And he's got a cast fronted by Call Me By Your Name's Timothee Chalamet, playing the imperilled young Paul Atreides.
Chalamet can be seen in the following image (courtesy of Empire) alongside Josh Brolin, who plays Paul's weapons trainer Gurney Halleck. The desert backdrop is that of Arrakis, the sand-blasted planet where the Atreides family have relocated from Caladan, only to become embroiled in a deadly feud with the warring Harkonnens.
Paul and Gurney can be seen aboard an ornithopter, or 'thopter for short. These airbound vehicles are used by the various inhabitants of Arrakis for scouting and rescue missions. This is crucial when the shifting desert sands conceal enormous sandworms that can consume entire vehicles whole.
Villeuneuve has said that the scene in question is a pivotal one: "It’s Paul’s first contact with the deep desert, where he’s mesmerised by it. He has a strange feeling of being home. There’s a lot of action at this specific moment, and [it’s] one of the scenes in the movie that I’m starting to get pretty proud of."
The excellent cast also includes Oscar Isaac as Paul's dad, Duke Leto; Rebecca Ferguson as Leto's concubine, and Paul's mother, Lady Jessica; Jason Momoa as swordmaster Duncan Idaho; Stellan Skarsgard as the scheming Baron Harkonnen; and Javier Bardem as Stilgar, leader of the native tribes of Arrakis known as the Fremen.
Dune is scheduled for release on the 18th of December. Let us know @Cineworld if it's on your must-watch list.
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