For many, including this writer, the most anticipated film of 2020 is Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” adaptation. Not only is the source material, author Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, reason enough to be excited about the film, but the filmmaker’s past work and the incredible cast that he’s put together make the space epic a must-see.
Now, thanks to Vanity Fair, we get our first look at the new adaptation of “Dune,” with a picture of the lead character, Paul Atreides, played by the Oscar-nominated young actor, Timothée Chalamet. However, this first look doesn’t yet give us a peek at the title location, the planet of Arrakis, aka Dune.
The picture shows us Paul as he’s walking on his home planet of Caladan, prior to his life-changing move to Arrakis. According to Chalamet, while on Caladan, young Paul has no idea what’s in store for him after his move. In fact, he has an entirely different life in mind.
“The immediately appealing thing about Paul was the fact that in a story of such detail and scale and world-building, the protagonist is on an anti-hero’s-journey of sorts,” Chalamet said.
He added, “He thinks he’s going to be sort of a young general studying his father and his leadership of a fighting force before he comes of age, hopefully a decade later, or something like that.”
Of course, if you’ve read the original novel, you know that Paul’s journey is very different than that.
“Dune” is set to hit theaters on December 18. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been worries that something will delay the film. While it doesn’t appear that a delay is in the cards, Villeneuve said that “Dune” will be seen on the big screen when the time is right.
“‘Dune’ was made by people from all over the world,” Villeneuve explained. “Many of these people are like family to me, and they’re very much in my thoughts. I’m so proud to showcase their hard work. I look forward to a time when we can all get together again as ‘Dune’ was made to be seen on the big screen.”
You can see the first look photo below.
