Although an acclaimed adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic novel, Denis Villeneuve's Dune can't be a true book adaptation. Dune has been adapted for the screen before: David Lynch attempted it back in 1984, only to receive negative reviews and box office failure. The latest film to chronicle the war for the desert planet of Arrakis, Dune stars an ensemble cast featuring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, James Brolin, and more, and despite some mixed early reviews, Dune received a six-minute standing ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere.

As evidenced by 1984's failed adaptation, it seemed that Dune was always destined to be divisive, as is often the case with adaptations of popular books. Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune is one of the most beloved sci-fi stories ever written, and finding a way to translate its popularity to the screen without upsetting its most ardent fans is something of a minefield. It ultimately comes down to the same issue that Hollywood has been faced with for decades: the fundamental differences between page and screen often prove to be insurmountable. This might be particularly true for Dune, as the book has such a die-hard following, and the 1984 film, while a box-office bomb, has gained cult status.

Related: Why A David Lynch's Director's Cut Of Dune Will Never Happen

While it's already clear that Dune won't be universally loved, it may have to alienate some of the book's fans by moving away from the source material. The reasons why are beyond Villeneuve's control as the film's director, and instead lie with Herbert's original novel. Dune is classic '60s sci-fi, groundbreaking in its depiction of other planets and spacefaring cultures, and it heavily features its own sci-fi terminology. While putting that onto the screen isn't necessarily difficult, the extent of its use would prove difficult for newcomers to the franchise to understand, and while it contributes heavily to Dune's tone, it isn't vital to the plot. Rewriting aspects of the film's language might not be a huge departure from the book, but it's an important change to make to guarantee Dune doesn't become a box office failure - after all, to achieve mainstream success, Dune needs to appeal to new fans, not just existing ones.

The poster for Dune featuring the main characters

Perhaps Dune's greatest hurdle is one that isn't just limited to sci-fi movies, but any film that seeks to adapt a book to the screen. Much of Herbert's Dune series is written from the perspective of internal monologues, which can be difficult to adapt for the screen without forcing exposition. While some of these monologues can be cleverly included, too many of them will slow the pace of the film. Instead, Dune will need to make large-scale changes to these monologues and their important place in the story in order to incorporate them into the blockbuster format, further removing Dune from its source material.

As Denis Villeneuve's previous movies will attest, the sci-fi epic is certainly in good hands. As evidenced by 2016's Arrival, he's capable of translating sci-fi to the big screen to great effect, and despite the inherent difficulties in translating Frank Herbert's work to the latest blockbuster franchise, Villeneuve appears to be the man for the job. Exactly how faithful Dune is to the original books remains to be seen, but its best hope for global success means moving away from Herbert's novels.

Next: Dune's Best Chance For Success Is On Streaming, Not The Big Screen

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