Denis Villeneuve has a huge endeavor in tackling Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune‘ and to help him with the project we’ve just learned that Oscar-winning writer Eric Roth (‘Forrest Gump’,’The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’) will be putting pen to paper for the screenplay. Legendary Entertainment currently holds both the television and film rights to this 1965 iconic novel, and while both the original 1984 film and 2000 Syfy mini-series have met with success, they’ve also both fallen short from the source material.
With Legendary Pictures already owning full cinematic rights to the series, it would seem like a possibility that they don’t just have a trilogy or more in mind for the films but potentially a tie-in television show as well. With all of the spin-off books that Frank’s son Brian Herbert co-wrote, there is plenty of material to work off of that could tell an all-encompassing story.
No word as of yet if that is the eventual plan or if they are just looking to adapt the first book in this series.
For those unfamiliar with the work, we follow Paul Atreides who is the son and heir of the family which has just been given control of the planet Arrakis. It is the only source in the universe for the orange spice melange which can extend the life and minds of those who use it and is a requirement of the spacing guild that shuttles humanity among the stars. Only, this gift of the planet from the Emporer of the known Universe is a carefully orchestrated trap to bring down House Atreides.
As one of my all-time favorite novels having been a gateway into science fiction for me, this is a movie I will be following closely and hope that Villeneuve and Roth can do it justice.
Are you looking forward to a new take on ‘Dune?’ Do you feel that Eric Roth is the right writer for the challenge? Share your thoughts below!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
