In the ultimate example of how the two sci-fi properties are alike, the productions for Dune and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker both accidentally ended up in the same desert. With Star Wars standing as the biggest sci-fi franchise in the world right now, it's easy to forget that Dune actually came first. Author Frank Herbert released his first book in 1965, introducing readers to the desert planet of Arrakis and its chosen one Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet in the new movie). Star Wars owes much to Dune, even while it possessed things that, for many years, Dune did not: Successful movies.
That has officially changed thanks to Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Dune, which arrived in theaters and on HBO Max back in October. A passion project for Villeneuve, his take on Herbert's difficult-to-adapt novel split the story into two parts. Dune: Part 1 was then able to take its time developing Arrakis and the political system that surrounds it, something previous adaptations struggled to do. Warner Bros. greenlit the sequel mere days after the first part arrived; Dune: Part 2 is currently scheduled for release in October 2023.
Fans of both franchises will be quick to explain what separates each from the other, but there's no question that they hold many similarities. Case in point: This funny story about the two productions, told by Dune production designer Patrice Vermette to THR. Vermette recalled how, when scouting locations for Dune with Villeneuve, they crossed paths with the team from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker while visiting the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. It began when Vermette saw a line of black SUVs in the distance, a sight that immediately led him to question whether another movie was in the area. Per THR:
“That really looked like a big tech scout,” he remembers telling Villeneuve, who often can look like he’s wincing knowingly when he smiles. When the chopper was back on the ground, Vermette followed his instincts and texted a friend, Paul Inglis, who had worked on Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 and since had been hired as the supervising art director on J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, then in production. “Hey, man, random question. Do you happen to be in Wadi Rum right now?” Vermette recalls writing. Inglis texted back, “Yup, was that you who just flew over us?”
Villeneuve strove to not let Star Wars influence how he would bring Dune to life, but the simple concept of the two movies aiming to use the same location is, quite frankly, hilarious. Both productions were able to use Wadi Rum; the teams from Dune and Star Wars met and agreed to shoot in different areas of the desert. In that sense, they can avoid accusations of either trying to copy the other. And regardless of that, it's clear neither movie meant to end up in the same place as the other.
Another amusing element to this is how both Dune and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker star Oscar Isaac. He played Duke Leto Atreides in the former and Poe Dameron in the latter. It's inevitable that these two sci-fi achievements will draw endless comparisons between each other. Both have been so influential in their genre and pop culture at large. Fans can debate which one is better all day long, but at the end of the day, one could argue that neither is possible without the other. Star Wars might not exist in quite the same way without the Dune books, and Dune the movie might not have been made without Star Wars films. In other words, there's room in the desert for both of them.
Source: THR
