A new, serious, Dune movie?

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The Epicosity

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I just watched the Dune movie a couple of days after reading it, and while it might've been tame for David Lynch, it was quirky and crazy as hell, probably not being something that would make me want to read the book afterwards. Also, I understand it is hard to fit whole books into movies, but could they try rather than skipping every 100 pages? So, what do you guys think of there being a remake that was serious and didn't skim over everything?
 

Lukeje

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Wasn't there a TV series not so long ago that was supposed to be more faithful? I honestly see no way of compressing a 1000 page book into one two hour film without making significant cuts.
 

WolfThomas

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Lukeje said:
Wasn't there a TV series not so long ago that was supposed to be more faithful? I honestly see no way of compressing a 1000 page book into one two hour film without making significant cuts.
This there's a good 4 1/2 hour tv series that was made, there was also a sequel of the same length that combined Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. It had most of the same cast and except for a few things was pretty good. It also features James McAvoy as Leto 2.
 

Bobic

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I often hear of Dune being referred to as one of those unfilmable films, and maybe they're right. Maybe it's best to just let the book be a book.

Of course, people said the same thing about Watchmen and Lord of the Rings, they turned out pretty well. So if some young ambitious director comes along with dreams of recreating one of the great sci fi novels in book form, I say go for it.

Admittedly, if they weren't skipping things, they'd probably need to spread it across a couple of movies, which might make producers nervous, and given how poorly received the first film was I can't see it happening.

Still, one can dream. . .
 

The Epicosity

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Lukeje said:
Wasn't there a TV series not so long ago that was supposed to be more faithful? I honestly see no way of compressing a 1000 page book into one two hour film without making significant cuts.
They could do what Harry Potter did, cut it into two movies, even though they would have to make sure it sells, which I'm sure just saying that it's similar to Star Wars would do.
 

Alleged_Alec

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Lukeje said:
Wasn't there a TV series not so long ago that was supposed to be more faithful? I honestly see no way of compressing a 1000 page book into one two hour film without making significant cuts.
You mean the Syfy series about the first two books? Yeah, they were more faithful, I guess, and also directed better. I do seem to recall the critical response to it was pretty negative though.

 

The Epicosity

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Bobic said:
I often hear of Dune being referred to as one of those unfilmable films, and maybe they're right. Maybe it's best to just let the book be a book.

Of course, people said the same thing about Watchmen and Lord of the Rings, they turned out pretty well. So if some young ambitious director comes along with dreams of recreating one of the great sci fi novels in book form, I say go for it.

Admittedly, if they weren't skipping things, they'd probably need to spread it across a couple of movies, which might make producers nervous, and given how poorly received the first film was I can't see it happening.

Still, one can dream. . .
Indeed, I was disappointed with the movie, and if it was made seriously over multiple movies...

*Daydream*
 

Mullkaien

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Yeah and there is a directors cut of the mini series on DVD. Good 6-7 hours of movie. Plus, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune where combined into a sequel miniseries. Another 6-7 Hours. If you haven't seen either they are definitely worth a watch and are very faithful to the original material.
 

The Epicosity

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Mullkaien said:
Yeah and there is a directors cut of the mini series on DVD. Good 6-7 hours of movie. Plus, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune where combined into a sequel miniseries. Another 6-7 Hours. If you haven't seen either they are definitely worth a watch and are very faithful to the original material.
Thanks, I'll check them out!
 

x EvilErmine x

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it could work if they split the book into tree films,

Part one goes up to the Harconans invading dune with the Sardukar forces and ousting Paul and Jessica. Death of Leto etc..

Part two starts straight after, runnign battle with Harconans, meting the Freman, etc.. up till when paul takes the waters of life.

Part three 'the epic final' disruption of harconan rule, Emperor comes to dune etc.. untill we end with the final fight and Paul becoming Emperor.
 

BonsaiK

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Meh. If David Lynch can't get it right, I don't see anyone else doing a better job.
 

Vrach

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WolfThomas said:
Lukeje said:
Wasn't there a TV series not so long ago that was supposed to be more faithful? I honestly see no way of compressing a 1000 page book into one two hour film without making significant cuts.
This there's a good 4 1/2 hour tv series that was made, there was also a sequel of the same length that combined Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. It had most of the same cast and except for a few things was pretty good. It also features James McAvoy as Leto 2.
Indeed, loved that series.

But really, it could definitely work as a movie and I'd love to see it - I'm sure we will eventually, I just hope that when it does get a remake, it's a good one.

It'd also either have to focus just on the first book and be a trilogy or pull a Harry Potter and make some 15 movies to encompass more than that... Guessing the former would be more reasonable, but the pacing would be hard to maintain between movies.
 

The Epicosity

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BonsaiK said:
Meh. If David Lynch can't get it right, I don't see anyone else doing a better job.
Honestly, David Lynch wasn't the best choice for Dune, not saying that he isn't good, but he just doesn't go well with something so serious.
 

Actual

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The mini-series that others have mentioned are definitely worth a watch, I really enjoyed them. Though of course they don't quite do the books justice. There are 3 episodes in each.

Dune [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142032/]


Children of Dune [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287839/]
 

Pearwood

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The Epicosity said:
BonsaiK said:
Meh. If David Lynch can't get it right, I don't see anyone else doing a better job.
Honestly, David Lynch wasn't the best choice for Dune, not saying that he isn't good, but he just doesn't go well with something so serious.
This is pretty much spot on, I love David Lynch but I couldn't think of a director with a style less suited to Dune.

Having said that I don't think I could watch a Dune movie without getting this image in my head:

 

The Epicosity

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Pearwood said:
The Epicosity said:
BonsaiK said:
Meh. If David Lynch can't get it right, I don't see anyone else doing a better job.
Honestly, David Lynch wasn't the best choice for Dune, not saying that he isn't good, but he just doesn't go well with something so serious.
This is pretty much spot on, I love David Lynch but I couldn't think of a director with a style less suited to Dune.

Having said that I don't think I could watch a Dune movie without getting this image in my head:

That image won't go out of my mind.. o_O
 

Nulmas

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The Epicosity said:
BonsaiK said:
Meh. If David Lynch can't get it right, I don't see anyone else doing a better job.
Honestly, David Lynch wasn't the best choice for Dune, not saying that he isn't good, but he just doesn't go well with something so serious.
Honestly, the 10 hour original project by Jodorowsky, Dali, Orson Welles, etc sounded a lot more interesting. And although he never confirmed it (as far as I know) a lot of the ideas for the movie were later used in the Metabarons comics.

I liked Dune, but the movie was a bit underwhelming :(
 

Deacon Cole

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The Epicosity said:
So, what do you guys think of there being a remake that was serious and didn't skim over everything?
I don't know if you understand how film adaptations work. All adaptations need to cut things to focus on the main narrative and fit in the running time. In a novel you can fart around for pages but you don't get to do that in film because the fact you're farting around becomes obvious.

Jaws is a good example of how much needs to be cut and why it makes for a better film. The novel included several side plots that really didn't go anywhere and they came out rather easily. But then, Jaws may be a bad example as the scriptwriter how easily those elements came out almost as if they were meant to come out.

Dune is probably a different kettle of fish with subplots and whatnot woven tightly into the main narrative, I assume. Which means you'll need to decide to cut things that are otherwise important and arguably as or more important than the stuff you leave in. So people will *****, not unlike the Lord of the Rings movies.

It could be done, sure, but after two adaptations, I doubt if anyone really wants to sink the kind of money necessary into Dune now or in the next fifty years.
 

The Epicosity

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the antithesis said:
The Epicosity said:
So, what do you guys think of there being a remake that was serious and didn't skim over everything?
I don't know if you understand how film adaptations work. All adaptations need to cut things to focus on the main narrative and fit in the running time. In a novel you can fart around for pages but you don't get to do that in film because the fact you're farting around becomes obvious.

Jaws is a good example of how much needs to be cut and why it makes for a better film. The novel included several side plots that really didn't go anywhere and they came out rather easily. But then, Jaws may be a bad example as the scriptwriter how easily those elements came out almost as if they were meant to come out.

Dune is probably a different kettle of fish with subplots and whatnot woven tightly into the main narrative, I assume. Which means you'll need to decide to cut things that are otherwise important and arguably as or more important than the stuff you leave in. So people will *****, not unlike the Lord of the Rings movies.

It could be done, sure, but after two adaptations, I doubt if anyone really wants to sink the kind of money necessary into Dune now or in the next fifty years.
You obviously have not seen Dune. It doesn't just do what most adaptations do, it acts like it has all the time in the world at the very beginning, taking 40 minutes out of the 2 hours to actually get to Arrakis, which would be ok if they didn't do so many skips further on, and explained next to nothing, the only thing keeping it interesting is the David Lynch-y feel, the quirkiness that doesn't quite fit it. Seriously, they skip over around 200 or so pages somewhere in there, and have many a time where a man gives one sentence of dialogue and it's like there's some kind of thing you're not realizing, and everybody is familiar with everybody else. The scene where Paul and Jessica meet Stilgar is a perfect example all he says is something like "I'll take the man-child." after they walk into a cave and are surrounded by Fremen, and everybody seems to understand what is happening and break out into this fight.
 

Deacon Cole

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The Epicosity said:
You obviously have not seen Dune.
Actually I did see the version that they run on television with voiceover narration that supposedly helps the story make sense. but I cannot discuss it as I found it quite forgettable, so I don't really remember it. So I find discussing it not useful. It's generally regarded as a piece of crap, and had been since it came out. I remember Leonard Maltin's review suggested people stay home and read a book instead. Maybe even Dune. These days it has a cult following partially because Lynch is the kind of director who attracts cult followings and partially because it's so bad. There seems to be a weird attraction to bad mass media these days. Why else would My Humps have been a successful single for the Black Eyed Peas?

So, yeah, discussion of a possible Dune movie would probably be better suited to not refer to the 1983 movie the way a possible Dungeons & Dragons movie would be best served forgetting the 2000 movie.