There are some new images for Dune 2021 that have been revealed in Total Film Magazine,
alongside some new interviews with the cast and director Denis Villeneuve. From new looks at the
Atreides, the Harkonnens and the ornithopters, to behind the scenes details, there are lots to
discuss surrounding Denis Villeneuve's Science fiction epic. In this video, I'm going to be
discussing the new images and details from the new edition of Total Film along with giving my
own thoughts on it. Before I get into it though, if you want to see much more videos on DUNE
leading up to its release date, then don't forget to support this video by giving it a like rating,
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on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and Instagram at cortex videos, which is all linked in the
description below. But without further ado, let's discuss the newest photos and reveals for Dune.
So in the new article from Total Film Magazine, we get a 20-page spread with loads of new images and
details from Denis Villeneuve's film. We get a new cover featuring
members of the cast and an exclusive version that was released only for subscribers of the magazine.
But inside, we get a fascinating description of some of the aspects
including an extended discussion with director Denis Villeneuve. The director
has become one of Hollywood's premier talents, impressing audiences with crime drama Sicario,
then becoming a mainstream name with his sci-fi epics Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. Next up,
the grandest science-fiction story of them all, an adaptation of Frank
Herbert's seminal novel Dune. "It was," the director stresses to Total Film,
"by far, the toughest thing he's ever done." Villeneuve has been dreaming of his Dune movie
since he was a teenager, saying, "there are deep pleasures when there are images that you're
able to achieve that is close to what you had in mind as a teenager; then it's orgasmic. But
the failures are very difficult because you disappoint the teenager in yourself.
As Hans Zimmer, the composer of Dune pointed out, it's very dangerous to try to reach one of your
oldest dreams." The very idea of adapting Dune was an "inaccessible, out-of-reach dream" that
the director carried throughout his career as a filmmaker. Timothee Chalamet expressed that
“Denis said that Paul Atreides was the character he saw his tortured adolescence through,
and a figure for him to escape through". But if that was a scary responsibility,
it was nothing compared to the fear that Villeneuve had as he faced up to the scale
of the world-building that was required and the depth of the interior lives he had to capture.
With some new images of Denis directing on set, we also learn about how his
other films became primal steps to making the so-called unfilmable book happen. One of his
earliest feature films, Incendies, was shot in the deserts of Wadi Rum, Jordan,
which are the very same alien landscapes he would return to almost a decade later for
Dune. He says, "I remember taking mental notes at the time. 'If ever I do the movie,
I'm coming back here and there. That's where Paul sits. But it was a massive fantasy."
Denis is the first to admit that he could not have done the film justice a decade ago and could
only achieve it by making 'stepping-stone' movies like Arrival, where he learnt to tell 'interior'
stories on a large canvas, and with Blade Runner 2049, a test in futuristic world-building. He
says, "I have some kind of a self-destructive device inside me to take projects that are
out of my reach". But in those moments of uncertainty, he would turn to a mantra from
a book that shaped his adolescence. The quote reading, "I must not fear. Fear is the
mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear". And we
learn that Denis Villeneuve did exactly that.
Villeneuve states that what makes Dune different is that it's wrestling with big
themes that are just as relevant now as they were 56 years ago. Dune is a love letter to
ecology and not in a tacky way. The director hopes that the film will help young viewers
discover it at a similar formative time of their lives as he did. He notes that
Herbert is someone who really embraced ideas that are linked with ecosystems and evolution,
and how to dramatise that in the most eloquent and poetic way. Dune is something that,
although written in the 60s, recognised the ransacking of the earth was not without
physical consequence, and that it's a lot of what we are dealing with right now.
You see that with the way the Harkonnen treat the environment and the colonisation of the planet is
relevant to a lot of the conversations we're having today about the present consequences of
the everlasting power structures of oppression. To Denis, it speaks to the planet's plight at large.
Alongside some more images on set of Denis with cinematographer Greig Fraser, Jason Momoa,
Rebecca Fergusson and more, he began to talk about the experience of filming Dune.
The filmmaker said, “The desert is an intimate experience, it makes you meditative and the
more you penetrate it, the deeper you go into yourself. All of this is very cinematic for me and
that's what I was looking for in shooting DUNE. I wanted the cast to savour this unique experience.
I wanted the film to be believable, I didn't look for exoticism. I wanted everyday light,
not perfect sunsets or sunrises. I wanted it to be accessible and understandable.
Only then would viewers focus on the characters and their relationships,
without being distracted. I wanted spaceships that looked like monoliths and were giant. I liked the
idea that architecture and transportation can make humans look like humble ants. So the machines in
DUNE were built with this monumental feeling of loneliness and oppression towards their users".
He also added to this by using the Ornithopters as an example. There is something frightening
about their size, and in this, I followed Moebius’ examples. Then, sticking to the book,
the machines had to have wings like birds and so I chose to go even further, prefiguring
them as insects". And we can see this in the gorgeous full-scale shot of the Ornithopter,
alongside another shot of the director inside another with Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica.
But coming to some of the things said by the cast in the magazine we learn some
funny and also intriguing details about their experience and aspects from the novel. Josh
Brolin talked about the practical nature of the project, saying, "It was really fun
for me. Unlike The Avengers, which I always describe as like doing black-box theatre in
1978, half of this is practical. You're in Jordan, you're in the dunes." And when it
comes to a certain Balliset Scene, Brolin mentions that even though they shot it,
it has unfortunately been cut from the film. He did say however that he believes the film
is a masterpiece and it was understandable why the scene wasn't included. Oscar Isaac
also knows a thing or two about massive science-fiction sagas, with the actor
becoming a household name thanks to his portrayal of Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy,
and will of course now fly off to another galaxy in the upcoming adaptation.
Unsurprisingly, sci-fi fans have drawn comparisons between the two, but when asked by Total
Film about having any reservations about jumping from Star Wars to Dune, the actor reveals he had
none. He said, "not really, because the genre of it is not as important to
me. It’s about who I’m working with, and what’s the story that we’re telling? It’s Denis,
and it’s Dune. Sure, there are also some spaceships, but that’s really about where
the similarities end. It's not a typical sci-fi film, it has elements of that, but it’s also a
meditation. What Frank Herbert did, and then Denis as well is to explore those themes of family,
of the clashes of cultures, and just put it on a stage that allows you to dream with it".
But from Arrakis to Caladan and all the different locations and cast, the new images show how much
detail was attained, while at the same time preservation of familiar notions.
Villeneuve says that he wanted the production to feel less otherworldly in the sense that it
has some relatability. It wasn't just shooting in real environments, it was also in many other
areas of production. It's more War of the Roses than Star Wars, says the film's costume designers
to back this up. The Black dresses of the Bene Gesserit for example was drawn from tarot cards.
The chunky Atreides battle armour was modelled on medieval suits of armour. The Sardukar
mirrored the SS and the Fremen were Denis's french resistance. And even the Stillsuits had built-in
pumps with ventilation to replicate the reserving water aspect from the novel. It's this kind of
customisation that is explained in the magazine as being different for all of the various actors,
and it just shows you the length of detail that Denis and his team went to
achieve what they did. Co-costume designers Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan labelled the
film's costumes as Modieval, combining medieval spirituality with a modern feel.
Denis ultimately didn't want to create an alien landscape that is so exotic that you
feel disconnected, making it feel tactile and that could be there on the planet.
But one of the highlights of this whole article and one which I have posted about and talked about
with previous videos is the possibility of Dune: Part 2. Denis Villeneuve says he thinks ‘DUNE PART
2’ is likely to happen “as Warner Bros & Legendary are 100% behind the project. They feel it would
need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Part 2 because they love the movie.”
He even went on to mention Feyd Rautha and how he had to move things to the second
part to give them breathing room. He said, "we had to shovel some things into Part Two
for the mental sanity of everybody. In order to preserve and have the time to bring that
to the screen, we had to make important choices." So he does lightly suggest that
Feyd and other elements will be included in the next movie if that indeed does come to fruition.
And it wasn't only in total film that he addressed the sequels and where the franchise
could be going, as in multiple magazines from France and Italy, the director goes
even deeper. Villeneuve says that “DUNE has become a sadly prophetic book,
all the more so if we think that it was written in 1965. It contains themes such as the capitalist
drift of our society, the failures connected to climate change and the dangers underlying the
clash between religions". In the french magazine, Lapressa, there were some more comments that added
to the conversation when it comes to follow-ups. Denis stated "I think it would have to go really
badly for the 2nd part not to get the green light. In December we should know. The script will
then be relatively well advanced & I think realistically that we could start filming
in the fall of 2022" if of course things go well. What intrigued me, however,
were the comments the director then made towards a potential trilogy that he could consider. Denis
states, “There is Dune's second book, The Messiah of Dune, which could make an
extraordinary film. I always say that there could be a trilogy, after that we'll see". Now
obviously Denis is fully focused on Dune Part One and down the line, Part two, but with him
saying this, it does get us intrigued surrounding how he sees this franchise
in the long term. Will it eventually be a trilogy or something that is revisited down the line. Who
knows. But what is clear is that Denis wants this to be his pinnacle creative endeavour, one that
can include various successful instalments on the big screen and of course the small screen
with the spin-off shows. This obviously all depends on the success of Dune and the HBO Max
situation which has already produced multiple flops at the box office, but he's still hoping
that he can see his vision fulfilled. In reference to the streaming and his stance on it he also
makes note of another famous filmmaker who has supported and equally fought against the decision.
Denis Villeneuve stated that Christopher Nolan supported & advised him after ‘DUNE’ was moved to
day-and-date on HBO Max. He said, “his kindness to me, like that of Emma Thomas was important.
But, I sense on WB’s part a desire to rebuild bridges.” We'll have to see but it will be
interesting to see if Dune does better than some of Warner Bros other simultaneous releases on HBO
Max, and in regards to Denis comments, rebuild the trust in their biggest creative talents.
But they were all the latest details surrounding the new images and updates for Denis Villeneuve's
Dune. It's going to be fascinating to see how all of the things Denis and crew
discussed come to life and his comments on the idea for a trilogy do get me excited.
I really think Denis has the capability to bring something as special as say the Lord
of the Rings trilogy with Dune, and if he pulls off this first film, I think there's always
the chance we could see that. Hopefully, people support the film when it releases
this October and really enjoy the adaptation that Villeneuve,
the cast and crew have all brought to the table. But let me know down below in the comments section
what you personally think towards the new images and interviews with the cast, alongside your own
thoughts on everything said by the director. For more videos surrounding DUNE leading up to
its release this year, then subscribe to the channel and turn on your notifications. Also
if you enjoyed this video remember to leave a like rating and follow me on social media via the links
in the description. I will be continuing to cover news and topics for DUNE whenever new information
comes out alongside returning to my road to Dune series this week with a video essay on
Denis Villeneuve's Enemy, so look out for all of these uploads. But anyway, I hope you guys
enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.