If you’re a diehard fan of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece, “Dune,” the news that a new director is attempting to bring the novel to the big-screen probably fills you with trepidation. Even though adaptations can’t change the source material, fans of “Dune” have seen filmmakers try, and fail, to fully realize the scope and story that Herbert’s novel features. But according to one of the actors in the upcoming “Dune” adaptation, director Denis Villeneuve is going to stay true to the source material, and thus, best all other attempts.
Normally, when a novel gets an acclaimed director like Villeneuve, and an all-star cast, fans are excited about what’s to come. But in the case of “Dune,” none of those things can erase the memory of David Lynch’s 1984 film and the not-so-great TV miniseries that followed years later. Not that either of those is truly godawful, but both just failed to capture the essence of the iconic novel.
The best is yet to come for “Dune” fans, however, according to David Dastmalchian. The actor is part of an incredible cast for Villeneuve’s upcoming film, which includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. And speaking to CinemaBlend, Dastmalchian explains why this new “Dune” is going to be the best adaptation yet.
“I can’t really discuss much about the script or the plot itself, but I can just tell you that that old phrase ‘True to the spirit’ or ‘honoring the spirit of’, and to be quite honest I haven’t even seen the most recent of the script, but in the way Denis has talked about the film and what I’ve seen, it’s absolutely true to and in honor of everything that Frank put into the novel,” said Dastmalchian.
READ MORE: Academy Award-Winning DP Roger Deakins Will Not Team With Denis Villeneuve On ‘Dune’
He continued, “And translating something from novel form to cinema form requires a lot of mastery as storytellers go, and I think there’s no one better for that job than Denis. He’s just so fearless, man. He makes choices and then he goes into the places that we need right now as audiences.”
We’ll find out soon enough if Villeneuve’s latest sci-fi epic can relaunch the general public’s love of “Dune,” and hopefully, introduce many more people to the story. The filmmaker is banking on it happening, as he has envisioned this film being the first part of a two-part series.
“Dune is expected to arrive in theaters on November 20, 2020.
