BLADE RUNNER 2049 Director Denis Villeneuve Officially Set to Direct DUNE
Last month we learned that Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival director Denis Villeneuve was in talks to direct the new big screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune. It's now been confirmed that he's officially signed on to helm the project set up at Legendary Pictures. The news came from Brian Herbert, the son of Frank Herbert, who posted the following on Twitter:
It's official -- Legendary Pictures has signed the very talented Denis Villeneuve to direct the exciting new DUNE series film project.
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) February 1, 2017
This has been a dream project that Villeneuve has been pursuing, but he didn't think it would actually happen. He previously talked about his dream of directing Dune and said:
"I’m always looking for sci-fi material, and it’s difficult to find original and strong material that’s not just about weaponry. A longstanding dream of mine is to adapt Dune, but it’s a long process to get the rights, and I don’t think I will succeed."
Well, he has succeeded, and now we just have to wait and see what he ends up doing with this classic property. Villeneuve is a talented director, and I trust that he'll give us something great, something fans of Dune will be excited about.
Dune is set in a distant future and follows Paul Atreides, "whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis."