In terms of release dates, Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, “Dune,” has more than a decade on George Lucas’ first “Star Wars” film. However, over the decades, “Star Wars” has become the default space fantasy franchise, and “Dune” has forever been that novel that nerdy kids (like me) read and loved and other people said they’d eventually read but never got around to. That is to say, it’s not nearly as prevalent in the pop culture lexicon as “the galaxy far, far away.”
However, with Denis Villeneuve set to release the first film in his proposed two-film adaptation of “Dune,” with an incredible cast and huge budget, many folks will finally be properly introduced to Frank Herbert’s vision. And thus, we’re likely to see many people drawing comparisons to “Star Wars,” as is the case in a recent interview with Jason Momoa on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In the interview, Momoa, who plays the character of Duncan Idaho in “Dune,” talks about his character and the joy of working on the film. And in doing so, he invokes one of the most famous characters in “Star Wars” as a touchstone for people to understand Idaho.
“I’ve never been part of something so big…I get to play this character Duncan Idaho, who’s kind of a master swordsman who’s made the right-hand man to Duke Leto, who is Oscar Isaac’s [character],” explained Momoa. “He’s the first person to be sent out to land on Dune, and that’s when I meet the character that Javier Bardem plays. I can’t believe I had a scene with Javier Bardem! It’s him and Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Stellan Skarsgård.”
He continued, “It’s a pretty massive film and I get to be this little—he’s kind of the Han Solo-esque of the group. He’s kind of the rogue warrior who protects Timothée Chalamet and he serves Oscar Isaac.”
As we get closer to the arrival of “Dune,” you can fully expect even more comparisons to George Lucas’ creation. And many of those comparisons are valid, but not in the ways people might expect. You see, as has been pointed out by fans for years, “Star Wars” owes a lot to Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” And you could say that Lucas was clearly influenced by the world of Arrakis when crafting his Skywalker Saga.
Fans of “Dune” hope that the film finds equal success as the Lucasfilm franchise when it hits theaters so that we can see the full breadth of Villeneuve’s vision. “Dune” is set to arrive in theaters on December 18.
