After a year’s wait, the Dune movie is finally here

MARIA CAAMAÑO, REPORTER: A dangerous desert with a precious resource. A mysterious girl. And a boy desperately trying to find his destiny.

Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a young man trying to find his destiny while being in the middle of a war between the Freemen people of desert planet Arrakis and its invaders, the House of Harkonnen, for a valuable resource – spice. 

This week, the pages of the novel will be taken to the big screen and brought to audiences by director Denis Villeneuve (duh-nee veel-nuv). The film also includes an ensemble of talented actors with Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgaard, Steve Bautista, Jason Momoa, and many more taking on roles for this adaptation of the novel. 

Originally scheduled for November 20th, 2020, Dune’s release has been pushed back a total of three times – leading to it becoming one of the most awaited films of all 2021 and leaving longtime fans of the series anxiously awaiting to see it in theaters. 

I was invited by Warner Brothers to an advanced screening and interview with the leading actors in the film, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya Coleman. 

But because I have never read the Dune books, I decided to interview some fans of the series to learn more about the Dune world, what the book is like and what readers are excited about when it comes to the film. 

Weinberg third year Nick Bakaysa picked up Dune during quarantine after hearing that the film would be coming out in the future. 

NICK BAKAYSA, STUDENT AND DUNE READER: Before I read it for the first time, one of my friends described it as Game of Thrones meets Star Wars – like as a book – and I think that’s pretty fitting.

CAAMAÑO: He explained that one of the aspects of the book that drew him to the series was the immersiveness of the Dune world. 

BAKAYSA: You feel like you are immersed in that world a lot more than a lot of other science fiction books that I’ve read because I think it just has the extra benefit of being a long book. With this one, that has the advantage of the extra I guess word length to kind of get a little bit deeper into all that content. So that was really cool. I was able to, like, imagine all these worlds and now seeing it on the movie trailer it’s pretty in line with what I was thinking it was gonna end up actually looking like. So that’s pretty fun.

CAAMAÑO: Bakaysa said that the star-studded cast, as well as Han Zimmer’s role as the film score composer, were what he was most excited about. 

BAKAYSA: I’m really excited about the movie. What I’m probably most excited for is the cast because I think they were able to get pretty much everyone cast perfectly. I’m not even the biggest fan of Timothée Chalamet but in my mind now like whenever I think of Paul Atreides I think of Timothée Chalamet’s face. I think that Stellan Skaarsgard as the Baron Harkonnen is probably one of the best casting decisions just seeing it from the trailers and imagining, like, how he can play that character. Like, I’m just excited to see how all these people are kind of just bringing it to life. I have also heard, like, little snippets about the score of the film like…Hans Zimmer, right? He did the score for the movie. And like he just creates new instruments to accompany all of this and like I can’t imagine a movie of Dune not having some kind of like new sound because it’s just its own separate beast like no sound that has ever come before could probably define Dune. So, it was nice to hear that he was making something new.

CAAMAÑO: The film’s stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya Coleman also explained that the cast was one of the many reasons they were drawn to the project.

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET, ACTOR: Well I wanted to work with Denis Villeneuve first and foremost, you know. I had auditioned for a small part in this movie Prisoners that he did years before, you know. Wasn’t in that but was fortunate enough to be in this and, fell in love with the book, saw the cast that was being assembled, you know. Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem…these are like some – like I said before – some of our greatest actors working today, so I was deeply attracted to that. And also, you know, to get to work on a movie of this size but that doesn’t lose any dramatic integrity, doesn’t lose any ambition and how seriously it takes itself – not in a bad way – that’s like the crème de la crème, at least for me. That’s why…that was my dream as an actor growing up – it is now – to get to be in a movie that Hans Zimmer scores, you know, that’s like…that’s the best. So sort of everything was attractive about this. And uh, really, honestly speaking I couldn’t point anything out that felt like a, you know, a natural deterrent during it or before.

ZENDAYA, ACTRESS: I would agree. Same here. I mean, I’m a huge fan of Denis and his work, I’m a huge fan of yours, you know, like I, as well, saw the cast was being assembled and I just was like, “I just want to get in the room.” I just want to get in the room. Have a shot at it. Um, so I kind of pursued it quite aggressively. Which you probably felt in the audition. But no, yeah. It’s an absolute dream.

CAAMAÑO: This isn’t the first time a Dune film has been attempted, however. A film adaptation of the book was released in 1984. Coleman explained that despite this past attempt, this version of Dune brings a new look into the universe Herbert created through the eyes of the film’s director Villeneuve (veel-nuv). 

ZENDAYA: I think as far as, like, attempting to take on something like this, I mean I couldn’t imagine the weight or what that feels like because, you know, you have to carry this so much. But I would say I’m definitely not new to doing movies that have been done before. And I think what’s so important is having that right director, that person who connects with the material in a different way. I mean, the fact that Denis has such a connection to this being that he read it as a young person and was able to grow with it and grow up with it, quite literally. And he’s been a fan of it for so long. I think that is a greater emotional connection to the piece that he’s creating. And I don’t think there’s anyone better for the job, so.

CAAMAÑO: First year Lukas Cortes explained that he thinks that the actors in the film and new CGI technology will make this film very different from the 1984 version. 

LUKAS CORTES, STUDENT: They did make a Dune movie a long, long time ago, that kind of was a flop a little bit. And I think the actors and actresses are really, really good in this movie, in particular, Zendaya and Timothée, of course. And, yeah, I think they’ll do a great job. I also think that because we’re in a new age, with new technology in movies and film especially, a lot of the action and a lot of the fantasy aspects of it will be a lot nicer than it was. In the past.

CAAMAÑO: Cortes is mostly excited about how the film will bring to life the Dune universe for audiences. 

CORTES: I’m definitely excited just to see, like, the CGI and the action. There’s so much action in the Dune book, and so much different, like fantasy creatures and things like that. And I’ve always been a big action fan, so. I also want to do the personal like character development as well, because there’s a lot of it in the book, and the author does a great job with character development. And I really hope that that translates into the movie as well.

CAAMAÑO: Bakaysa explained that those who have not read the book should not be discouraged to watch the film. Instead, he thinks it will actually help the audience’s understanding of the first part of the book and encourage them to read the series once they walk out of the theater. 

BAKAYSA: I think with Dune people should just go and support it still. Because I, a lot of my friends picked up Dune, and got to like page 50, and said, “I’m done. I can’t read any more of it.” And I keep trying to convince them like, “Hey, it gets better, like, more interesting things keep happening.” So I might start using the movie now like, “Hey, if you didn’t like the first 50 pages of the book, watch the movie – or like just the first part of the movie – since it lands off maybe like halfway through the books so there’s a lot of content left to get through, watch the movie and then come back and see what you’re missing out on.” And then you’ll want to read the rest of the book. Like you’ll want to get to the end. So then, maybe by like Dune part two, whenever that comes out, I don’t know, like 2023…2024, then they’ll have read the source material, and they’re more excited about it.

CAAMAÑO: Chalamet says that, although the novel was published in 1965, younger audiences who are encountering the story for the first time will be able to relate to the story’s themes. 

CHALAMET: That’s the dream is that, you know, because we’re all the same generation we didn’t grow up with, you know, or at least this book didn’t come out when we were growing up. And yet, it’s themes remain really relevant about, you know, fighting for what’s right socially, fighting for what’s right environmentally, standing up for groups that are easily oppressed or that don’t have the agency to fight back. I would say, as it relates to the movie, beyond that…like the movie is about many things, and there’s there’s many qualities to it, but if people have – young people – can relate to what Chani or Paul are going through at the center of it, and can also intake, you know, themes that – sometimes fly above my head – you know, then we really succeeded. And I love how you put it, it would mean sort of transposing a story from the 60s and – by way of Denis’ vision, by way of Denis’ master plan – have it be accessible to a generation, like I said, that relates in many ways to the qualities of the story, but in other ways, especially the idea that technology, you know, technology doesn’t or the kind of technology we have doesn’t exist. When they say, “A machine shall not be made in the likeness of a man’s mind” – in that way we couldn’t relate but, in a lot of ways, I think people can.

CAAMAÑO: As to where you can find Dune? The film will be released in theaters on October 21st, in 2D, 3D and IMAX. Audiences also have the chance to stream the film on HBO Max on the evening of October 21st. It will be available there for a month. For WNUR News, this has been Maria Caamaño.