“Dune” is a difficult book to describe to people. It’s a sci-fi novel that deals with religion, philosophy, and politics. It’s not filled with tons of explosions and lightsaber duels like “Star Wars.” And though Paul Atreides is a gifted fighter and potential superpowered, messianic leader, he’s no superhero. Not by a longshot. As Denis Villeneuve points out in a new Empire interview, perhaps the closest cinematic comparison for his “Dune” lead character is in a Francis Ford Coppola crime epic and not George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away.
Villeneuve debuted a new picture from his film version of “Dune,” which arrives in December. The picture shows what appears to be a training session for young Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet in the film. And accompanying the picture, the filmmaker explained a bit more about the character.
“Paul has been raised in a very strict environment with a lot of training, because he’s the son of a Duke and one day… he’s training to be the Duke,” the filmmaker explained. “But as much as he’s been prepared and trained for that role, is it really what he dreams to be? That’s the contradiction of that character. It’s like Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather’ – it’s someone that has a very tragic fate and he will become something that he was not wishing to become.”
READ MORE: Jason Momoa Describes His ‘Dune’ Character As “Han Solo-Esque”
Villeneuve added, “His survival depends on being able to make the right decisions and adapt to different dangerous situations. It’s a very beautiful story about someone that becomes empowered. Like any young adult, he is looking for his identity and trying to understand his place in the world, and he will have to do things that none of his ancestors were able to do in order to survive. He has a beautiful quality of being curious about other people, of having empathy, something that will attract him towards other cultures, and that’s what will save his life.”
You can’t help but think that Villeneuve is the perfect person to craft the new “Dune” film after reading that. The way he describes the journey that the young Atreides goes on in the film is completely accurate and bodes well for the rest of the film. But also, the fact that he can talk about the film in such an eloquent and profound way is great, especially considering some directors might have just treated “Dune” as an attempt to make “Star Wars” but with giant, scary sandworms.
However, comparing the film to “The Godfather” or explaining the intricacies of Paul Atreides’ story is great for fans of Frank Herbert’s classic novel. But does that sort of story mean that millions of people will line up to see “Dune?” The budget is massive and the story is only one-half of the book (a sequel is expected soon to finish the story). And honestly, as someone who has read Herbert’s novels, “Dune” is pretty different than the “Star Wars” and Marvel films that earn $1 billion. Let’s hope that Villeneuve is able to present a faithful version of the story while also attracting enough paying customers to warrant more films and the eventual TV spin-off. Shai-Hulud willing.
You can see the new picture from the film below:
