DUNE: Denis Villeneuve In Running To Direct

Denis Villeneuve In Consideration To Helm Dune

Sicario director Denis Villeneuve is being eyed by Legendary Pictures to direct their upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune.

The news was broken by Variety, which by remarkable coincidence also revealed that Villeneuve wished to work on an adaptation of the science fiction novel. Calling it a “longstanding dream”, the director nevertheless expressed doubt that he would get the opportunity to do so, although it appears that Legendary has taken it upon itself to grant his wish:

Last month, Legendary and the Frank Herbert estate announced their intent to bring Dune to both movie and television screens, with all projects to be produced by Thomas Tull, Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert serving as executive producers. It’s interesting that Villeneuve may jump from Blade Runner to Dune, as Ridley Scott did just the opposite in the early ’80s when he dropped out of a planned adaptation of Dune in order to make the original Blade Runner.

Set in the distant future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly-valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.

Leave your thoughts on Legendary Pictures giving thought to having Denis Villeneuve direct their planned film adaptation of Dune (via Comingsoon.net) in the comments section below. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, our Movie News Facebook Page, and our Movie News Google+ Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook. No official air or release date has been offered for Dune at this point.