This week saw the release of the first trailer for the highly-anticipated “Dune” adaptation from director Denis Villeneuve. However, just because the title is “Dune,” don’t assume the film will cover all of the events of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel. In fact, a more apt title might be “Dune: Part 1,” as the film only tells half of the story. And according to Villeneuve, that was a requirement for him to sign on for the film.
READ MORE: WB Delaying ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ To Christmas & Keeping ‘Dune’ In December
Speaking before the online release of the “Dune” trailer (via Variety), Villeneuve explained that the story of the first “Dune” novel (the series actually spans more than a half-dozen novels) is too expansive for just one film. (Just ask David Lynch about that.) And in order for him to faithfully adapt Herbert’s vision for the big screen, he wanted the assurance that he would be able to do a ‘Part 2’ to finish the story.
“The story is so rich and complex that, in order to be faithful to the book, we’ll need to make at least two movies,” he said. “That was a deal right at the start.”
Another deal that was made between him and Warner Bros. about the production of “Dune” is that he wanted to use real locations and not rely solely on green screen. Why? Well, as he put it, if you want it to look good, you have to do it right.
“My argument was that they didn’t shoot ‘Jaws,’ in a swimming pool,” he said. “The title is ‘Dune’ — we need to be in the real environment.”
Obviously, because of the real locations and the ridiculously high production value, “Dune” is estimated to have had a budget around $200 million. And even though we want to believe Villeneuve’s promise of a sequel, filming of that has yet to begin and there’s no schedule when the cast might get back together to finish Herbert’s story. And with “Dune” reportedly still arriving on December 18 (even though WB just put “Wonder Woman 1984” a week after it), the box office tally of the film could make the possibility of a sequel a bit of an optimistic hope rather than a contractual obligation.
READ MORE: Oscar Isaac Says ‘Dune’ Is A Timely Story For Today’s Political Climate
Obviously, allowing fear of a bad box office total creep into your mind is the opposite of what “Dune” stands for. As the Bene Gesserit saying goes, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
“Dune” will arrive in theaters on December 18. And everything is going to be just fine.