Apparently all it took was an apocalyptic sci-fi awakening to bring together some of the biggest stars in Hollywood . . . on the big screen that is. After more than five decades (and one not-so-great attempt by David Lynch) to bring
Dune to the big screen, the 1965 Frank Herbert novel is hitting theatres this December and there's a pretty stellar A-list cast attached. How else would describe a group like Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem?
Vanity Fair gave fans a taste of what to expect from the anticipated movie with an exclusive first-look of the adaptation that takes place in a galactic future where Earth’s resources have run out and space is basically a wasteland. The book is largely considered one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time (and it’s definitely the world’s best-selling science fiction novel) , and while there are countless beings, planets, and backstories to get into, the entry point for most will be a character named Paul Atreides (Chalamet).
The publication describes Paul as a boy trying to find his place in the world, but he actually has the ability to change it given his supernatural gift to harness and unleash energy and to lead. “Think Greta Thunberg, only she’s a Jedi with a diploma from Hogwarts,”
Vanity Fair writer Anthony Brezican writes. The action kicks off when Paul’s father (played by someone who’s actually hobnobbed with Jedis, Oscar Isaac) and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) remove him from a lush life on their planet Caladan in order to oversee spice extraction on a planet called Arrakis. Things don’t go as planned, and before long the family is clashing with a rhino-like creature (played by Stellan Skarsgård) who is essentially a merciless predator.
That A-list cast
And the bold name talent doesn't end there. Zendaya plays a mysterious character named Chani who appears in Paul’s dreams to haunt him (complete with glowing blue eyes). Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin play warriors who mentor Paul and Javier Bardem leads a tribe called the Fremen in what is thought to be the unlivable wilds of Arrakis.[video_embed id='1934682']RELATED: Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer will reunite for ‘Call Me By Your Name’ sequel[/video_embed]If it sounds like a lot to unpack, well… it is. French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, aka the guy responsible for ambitious epics
Blade Runner 2049 and
Arrival, would only do it if he was allowed to do it in two films. There’s just too much material for a two-to-three hour movie, and even in two parts it’s a pretty daunting project to take on. “It’s a book that tackles politics, religion, ecology, spirituality—and with a lot of characters,” Villeneuve tells
Vanity Fair. “I think that’s why it’s so difficult. Honestly, it’s by far the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life.”
Epic world-building
So far there’s no trailer, just the still photos, but it’s safe to say that this thing is going to be epic. “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 told the publication. “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.”Everyone will get a chance to check out the results on December 18, when
Dune is scheduled to be released. For the sake of the fans, here’s hoping theatres are back open and running by then, because this is a movie that definitely demands the big-screen treatment.[video_embed id='1938576']BEFORE YOU GO: JLo and Diddy reunite for charity dance-a-thon[/video_embed]
