Dune Spoiler Thread

[Iskaral Pust]

I liked it but it didn’t blow me away.  Now I’m just nervous whether it’ll be successful enough to get the sequel greenlit.  The visual spectacle and ornithopters were the strongest points, and the acting was quite good all around, and the score suited the the tone and visual style.

As others have said, adapting the book to duology movie length required some trade-offs that diminish secondary characters and remove key tension points.  It’s twenty years or more since I last read the book, so it’s not like I have a precise memory that I was expecting to have fulfilled, but even so I felt the lack.

As a standalone movie it was a bit dull — lots of foreboding angst without sufficiently establishing why or why the audience should care.  And I’m on the fence about Chalamet as Paul — I’ll be impressed if he can really command the role in the next film as Paul develops.

If I watched that without reading the books I would wonder why we have yet another case of advanced civilizations bizarrely relying on stab weapons in open melee (although Marvel is still the worst for this), and possibly wonder if the Harkonnen’s were the bad guys from Chronicles Of Riddick.  But I’d mostly wonder why I just watched half a movie.

edit: biggest negative was the HBO Max stream.  We started the movie on Saturday, but there were random blips in the audio stream that increased in frequency.  It got too annoying, so we watched the last hour on Sunday instead and thankfully the stream had no problems then.  The HBO Max app has had plenty of problems before and they really need to improve it. 

[IFR]

Dune topped Justice League in streaming. 

In addition to the 40 million dollars weekend domestic and 180 million dollars international total, the odds for a sequel are looking pretty good.

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

When I compare the production design, the art , the visuals and the sheer world building this film had to offer, all the comic book flicks pale in comparison. Haven’t had such an out of body experience in a long time.

Really hope we get a part 2. 

[SpaceChampion]

What I remember from the books is pages and pages on the ecology of Arrakis.  I'm sure few would agree but for me that was the best part, because Herbert introduced me to the concept of ecological systems.  There is pretty much a straight line from Dune to Red Mars with those themes.  I would have enjoy a 2-hour documentary narrated by Mentat David Attenborough on the fictional ecology of Dune.

[SpaceChampion]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:42 AM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

The really sad part is that it is bad fanfic.  Ironically, back in the early 90’s I read a Star Trek/Dune crossover fanfic that really did capture Frank Herbert’s tone and voice.  

So, clearly it can be done.  KJA just isn’t up to it.

Obviously the fan fic mashup that needs to be done is Foundation and Dune.

The Kwisatz Haderach is basically the Mule.

[Zorral]

But the Mule came out of nowhere, not expected, not planned for.

Whereas the Kwisatz Haderach has been the objective for the breeding program for centuries, i.e. wanted, hoped for, planned for. 

Though Paul showing up and being who is, does create the same consequences as the Mule's unexpected appearance, of throwing a spanner in the works and expectations of centuries.

 

[A wilding]

I guess that Count Hasimir Fenring would be the Mule?

 

[Fez]

Although, for now timing remains an issue. Villeneuve has said recently his next movie will be Cleopatra, which may be in some stage of pre-production already. Is he still going to do that first, or will he leave it to Dune Part II first?

He's said several times over the years that making a Cleopatra movie is his passion project.

ETA:

Apparently WB has announced a planned release date of October 20, 2023, so I guess that means Cleopatra is on hold.

[Corvinus85]

15 minutes ago, Fez said:

Although, for now timing remains an issue. Villeneuve has said recently his next movie will be Cleopatra, which may be in some stage of pre-production already. Is he still going to do that first, or will he leave it to Dune Part II first?

He's said several times over the years that making a Cleopatra movie is his passion project.

ETA:

Apparently WB has announced a planned release date of October 20, 2023, so I guess that means Cleopatra is on hold.

I feel that's way too soon. Even if the script is complete, which I think it may be, and most of the sets will be re-used, that's still a lot of work, especially for the post-production people. They still need to find actors for a few roles, like Feyd, Shaddam, Alia, and Irulan. Wasn't this movie postponed once or twice even before the pandemic?

But happy it's a go.

[JGP]

Well… alright then.

I’ll donate the two hundred I put up to the board if they make that date lol

 —-

Yes it was, Corvinus. Without googling, it was pushed once for sure, maybe more.
 

[Clueless Northman]

They probably already have actors in mind. Might have auditioned if not signed some, with some additional "assuming the movie is greenlit" precautions?

Still, 2 years is ridiculously short, considering the CGI and overall post-prod will be bigger for Part 2 - even if they already have done work that can be re-used. I'll be a happy camper if I can see it in October 2024.

[JGP]

Just now, Clueless Northman said:

They probably already have actors in mind. Might have auditioned if not signed some, with some additional "assuming the movie is greenlit" precautions?

Auditioned, maybe. Nit picky, but you can't sign people for a movie that hasn't been greenlit-- you don't have a time table, they can't commit to something else in the same period, etc.  

[Werthead]

21 hours ago, JEORDHl said:

That reads like a lot of converging best case scenarios, Wert. I'd be comfortable putting a couple hundred on a least three years. Guess we'll see. 

Is it too late to take this?

Two years is tight when the turnaround on a modern effects picture is three years, but that usually includes a year of storyboarding, set design/construction, casting and scriptwriting, all of which has already been done for Part Two. As long as they're shooting by summer or so, they should be fine.

[JGP]

4 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Is it too late to take this?

Yeah, I amended to donate it to the board if they make Oct 23. Shoulda pounced, Wert

I'd likewise be surprised if it's boarded already, that's only a few heartbeats away from pre vis, but who knows, maybe Villeneuve ponied up and paid for storyboards out of his own pocket... lol

[Kalbear]

39 minutes ago, JEORDHl said:

Yeah, I amended to donate it to the board if they make Oct 23. Shoulda pounced, Wert

I'd likewise be surprised if it's boarded already, that's only a few heartbeats away from pre vis, but who knows, maybe Villeneuve ponied up and paid for storyboards out of his own pocket... lol

Also, for the most part there aren't a whole lot of 'new' things. We already have Arakeen. We already had Giedi Prime, and Salusa Secundus. There's some work to be done in the sietches - and to be fair, that'll be a lot given how much is in there - but almost everything else, from costuming to props to actual sets to vis is already done. 

I would bet a lot of the storyboarding is already done, because they didn't know where they were going to end this one either. 

Mostly, I'm really curious if we actually are going to get characters like Irulan or Feyd or Fenring. Many of them could be cut absolutely without any real issue. You almost certainly need the Emperor - but do you actually need the Feyd subplot? And if you don't have that, do you need anything with Fenring?

[JGP]

12 minutes ago, Kalsandra said:

Also, for the most part there aren't a whole lot of 'new' things. We already have Arakeen. We already had Giedi Prime, and Salusa Secundus. There's some work to be done in the sietches - and to be fair, that'll be a lot given how much is in there - but almost everything else, from costuming to props to actual sets to vis is already done. 

I would bet a lot of the storyboarding is already done, because they didn't know where they were going to end this one either. 

Mostly, I'm really curious if we actually are going to get characters like Irulan or Feyd or Fenring. Many of them could be cut absolutely without any real issue. You almost certainly need the Emperor - but do you actually need the Feyd subplot? And if you don't have that, do you need anything with Fenring?

Good points, but an integral part of pre vis is creating a dumbed down version of action sequences between boards, live action, and post. I've been out of the game a long, long time though, computers have likely sped that process up by considerable factors.

---

Agree they could cut Irulan, why though, such a small yet somewhat important part if only toward the political resolution. Fenring could be axed at this point since they didn't introduce Lady Fenring, I suppose. Feyd though, I think they have to. I mean, Rabban has been relatively pointless so far and Feyd is a useful counterpoint there. Also, if they build up his ambition and particularly his pit fighting, the final knife fight [though not necessarily] is kind of key.

I'd like to see it anyway.  

 

[IheartIheartTesla]

Sting is still alive.

[Kalbear]

I'd like to see it too, but there's a lot there that isn't really relevant to Paul and Dune that doesn't make sense to introduce in the second half of the story. If Feyd was already in it? That would make sense for a climax. But for me, the climax here is Paul vs. the Emperor. Him doing some random asskicking of a dork isn't that big a deal if it's not set up already. 

We could probably replace that asskicking with a Rabban reference given it's Bautista if that's needed. 

Plus, depending on what they're adapting? There's a LOT. We've got Paul becoming Fremen and gaining his name, we've got Jessica going with her Reverend Motherness, Chani's coming into play and becoming his partner - and that's before the jump. Then we have the jump, the wormride, Alia (and that's the thing I want most), the reunion of Gurney, and the actual final battle. Especially with all the setpieces there that's a whole lot to show and do.

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

I would be very surprised if they didn’t start part 2 after the time jump.

I’m very pleased that part 2 is going ahead; part 1 cannot stand by itself.

[Corvinus85]

18 minutes ago, Stannis Eats No Peaches said:

I would be very surprised if they didn’t start part 2 after the time jump.

I’m very pleased that part 2 is going ahead; part 1 cannot stand by itself.

I would be surprised if they did. Paul hasn't even gotten the Muad'dib name yet. The immediate events at Sietch Tabr need to happen. And I think they'll give us more of the events passed over in the time jump in the movie.

Additionally, I think they'll introduce Feyd and the Baron's plan for Arrakis. And likely introduce the Emperor, too. 

41 minutes ago, Kalsandra said:

Also, for the most part there aren't a whole lot of 'new' things. We already have Arakeen. We already had Giedi Prime, and Salusa Secundus. There's some work to be done in the sietches - and to be fair, that'll be a lot given how much is in there - but almost everything else, from costuming to props to actual sets to vis is already done. 

I would bet a lot of the storyboarding is already done, because they didn't know where they were going to end this one either. 

Mostly, I'm really curious if we actually are going to get characters like Irulan or Feyd or Fenring. Many of them could be cut absolutely without any real issue. You almost certainly need the Emperor - but do you actually need the Feyd subplot? And if you don't have that, do you need anything with Fenring?

There are the sietches as you said, a ridable contraption for the sandworm, the Emperor's palace, and depending on how they introduce Feyd, the combat arena. Possibly a smuggler's den, too. 

I would think Irulan is going to be introduced, since they've already set up Paul's intentions when he mentioned the emperor's unmarried daughters.

I wonder if they're going to try to work in Gurney's incorrect belief about Jessica, considering they did nothing in setting up the traitor plot.