Movies - Dune 2 : In theaters exclusively on October 20, 2023

By Mulder, 26 october 2021

"I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two. It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune, and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning." – Denis Villeneuve

Dune is a 2021 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth. It is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, primarily covering the first half of the book. Set in the far future, it follows Paul Atreides as he and his family, the noble House Atreides, are thrust into a war for the dangerous desert planet Arrakis. The film stars an ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.

Following a failed attempt by Paramount Pictures to produce a new adaptation of Herbert's novel, Legendary Entertainment acquired film and TV rights to Dune in 2017. Development began shortly after, with Villeneuve expressing interest in the project and officially signing as director in January 2017. He worked with Roth and Spaihts on the screenplay, breaking the 1965 novel's adaption into two parts and incorporating an updated 21st-century sensibility atop Herbert's original visions. Similar to the two-part It from 2017, production contracts were secured only for the first part of the script, with anticipation that the second part would be greenlit with a successful box office performance of the first part. Filming took place from March to July 2019 at various locations, including Budapest, Jordan, Norway and Abu Dhabi.

Dune premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2021. Warner Bros. Pictures theatrically released it in 2D, 3D and IMAX internationally on September 15, 2021. Dune was simultaneously released theatrically and streaming on HBO Max on October 22, 2021. It was generally well received by critics for its visuals, scope and ambition, and has grossed $223.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $165 million. A week after its release, Dune: Part Two was confirmed with a theatrical release scheduled for October 2023. One of the main reasons for the negotiations was an exclusive theatrical window with no day/date release on HBO Max (Source : Deadline).

Synopsis Dune:
The story of Paul Atreides, a young man as gifted as he is brilliant, destined to know an extraordinary destiny that is totally beyond him. If he is to preserve the future of his family and his people, he must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe - the only one capable of providing the world's most precious resource, capable of increasing humanity's power tenfold. As evil forces vie for control of this planet, only those who can overcome their fear will survive...

Dune
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth
Based on Dune by Frank Herbert
Produced byDenis Villeneuve, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo Jr.
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem
Cinematography : Greig Fraser
Edited by Joe Walker
Music by Hans Zimmer
Production company : Legendary Pictures
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date : September 3, 2021 (Venice), October 22, 2021 (United States)
Running time : 155 minutes