DUNE Director Denis Villeneuve Says It's a "Sprint to Finish the Movie on Time"
In case you were wondering what the status was on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune since the pandemic hit, it’s still on track for its December 18th debut. But, according to the director, it is a “sprint to finish the movie on time.”
During an interview with IndieWire, Villeneuve talked about finishing the movie up during the lockdown and how it crushed the film’s editing schedule. When production on the project wrapped, the filmmaker was planning on some reshoots, but that was obviously challenged by Hollywood shutting down production. But, he will shoot those additional scenes!
“I was planning to go back and shoot some elements later because I wanted to readjust the movie. I needed time. At the time I didn’t know that it would be a pandemic…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 meant also 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 also explained that one of the biggest hurdles working on Dune remotely has been the editing. It’s just not the same not being in the same room with the editor. The energy and spontaneity is off:
“As a director there are things that can be done remotely to deal with technology. The supervision of VFX with some equipment is easy to do from afar but, editing, for me, the big lesson from this is I thought it would be possible to edit at a distance. With my editor [Joe Walker] sharing equipment, being afar from the [one another], but I realize how much editing is like playing music with someone and you need to be in the same room. 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.”
When talking about working and collaborating with Walker, who has also worked on Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049, the filmmaker said:
“Maybe one of the reasons is that the editor is someone…is also a psychiatrist. He’s the only dealing with my OCD and my panic attacks and my fears, and receives my joys. In the future, if something like that ever happens again, I will definitely make sure my editor is close to me.”
Regardless of the issues that the pandemic has caused, I’m confident that Villeneuve and his team are going to deliver one hell of a great adaptation of Dune. Hopefully, we get to see some actual footage from this film soon! Here’s the synopsis for the film:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
The film’s cast includes Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Rebecca Ferguson as his mother Jessica, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkonnen, Zendaya as Chani, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, David Dastmcalchian as Piter De Vries, Chang Chen as Dr. Yueh, and Dave Bautista as the Baron’s nephew Rabban.