Will Dune Become the New Star Wars?

Fans of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel Dune will finally have their prayers answered when Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation hits theatres at the end of the year, assuming that the movie doesn’t change its release date because of the coronavirus.

It also comes at an interesting moment in our film slate, since it does seem like the Star Wars franchise has hit a bit of a stalemate. Yes, The Mandalorian series seems to be going strong, but the last two film offerings were disappointing, and several filmmakers have walked away from helming a Star Wars film or been let go for not being up to scratch, until it was recently announced that Taika Waititi would be directing the next Star Wars film.

Disney’s choice of Waititi makes sense, since the man has proven that he can handle big blockbusters as well as make Oscar winning films. But it will be a while before we get to see his vision on screen. In the meantime, Dune seems capable of filling that void, considering how the two move through very similar film landscapes.

According to Dune’s cinematographer Greig Fraser, he believes that George Lucas was probably inspired by Dune when he made Star Wars, pointing out the similarities between the two. “There were some similarities like the deserts. I mean listen, ultimately, I’m positive George Lucas was inspired by Dune when he made Star Wars. I don’t know if that’s sacrilegious to talk about, but there are a lot of similarities in some areas, so you could tell he was definitely influenced by that. So I had to be careful doing both [Dune and The Mandalorian] and not to repeat myself. Also not just for the sake of the movie, but for fun. I hate to do the same thing twice.”

If we consider the central figure of both works, it’s easy to see the influence of Herbert’s work in Lucas’ franchise. Dune has Paul Atreides, Star Wars has Luke Skywalker, both endowed with special powers yet reluctant to embrace the destiny that was meant for them. Denis Villeneuve himself has even gone so far as to describe his vision for his adaptation as “the Star Wars movie I never saw,” calling Dune “Star Wars for adults”. Jason Momoa, who plays Duncan Idaho in Dune, has also made a Star Wars link, calling his character the Han Solo of the film.

However, the look and feel between the two are very different, so while it would seem that Fraser had to try hard to not repeat himself, the task wasn’t as difficult we are led to believe. “I had to forget a lot of Star Wars when I was making Dune. It wasn’t hard, though,” Fraser said. “Denis and I spoke clearly about how the film should look and should feel, and the formats and this and that, so it was not hard to swerve and change lanes.”

Based on the images that have been released for Dune so far, it does seem more of the visual antithesis of Star Wars. The costuming is more practical than flashy, Dune’s version of the desert planet Arrakis looks earth-like and familiar, as opposed to something more alien and from a galaxy far, far away. While the book is quite fantastical in its sci-fi elements, Villeneuve has a very grounded approach to the terrain of sci-fi. Just think about his other films, like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, especially the latter, where the visuals are futuristic but don’t seem too over the top.

If we consider Villeneuve’s filmmaking track record, it is a very good one. The man hasn’t made a bad film, but they aren’t exactly blockbusters or box office draws. Blade Runner 2049, while a critical success, flopped at the box office, depending too much on the nostalgia to make bank but forgetting that Ridley Scott’s original didn’t exactly bring in the dollars as well. And we seem to be going the same route with Dune, with Villeneuve taking on a source material that has been done before, though not as well.

David Lynch’s attempt at Dune failed due to his inability to make it accessible. There is just too much content that it was impossible for him to deliver a film that wouldn’t go over a certain runtime without doing exposition dumps. This is where Star Wars succeeded and Dune failed; audiences want to be able to follow along, and not get dragged through an incomprehensible mess of a film.

As a result, Villeneuve only agreed to work on Dune if Warner Bros. let him have two films, since that was the only way he would be able to do justice to Herbert’s meticulously penned saga. This is a similar path that Warner Bros. took with Stephen King’s It adaptations. Fraser assures us that despite this, Dune is a “fully standalone epic film”. “It’s a fully formed story in itself with places to go,” Fraser said. “It was quite an adventure visually. It was a beautiful experience making it. The people involved with it, I was overwhelmed. Some of the actors, as well as being insanely talented actors, are just lovely, lovely people who I’ve become very close to since then.”

Since there are already plans for a second movie, it does seem that there is a possibility for an extended universe to be built, with Villeneuve’s films used as a jumpstart into a whole new sprawling sci-fi saga. On paper, Dune has all the ingredients for blockbuster success: We have a ton of well-known actors attached to the project, with Timothee Chalamet in the leading role opposite an ensemble cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa, Villeneuve has dealt with the issues of adaptation by having two films, and Warner Bros. has chosen for the film to be released in December, which is a great time for movie releases.

But will these ingredients allow Dune to run in the billion dollar league with Star Wars? Besides the MCU and Lord of the Rings, no other franchises have come close to replicating what Star Wars has done, so it seems highly improbable that Dune will be able to. But hey, at least we will have one hell of a movie to look forward to.