Timothée Chalamet is Paul Atreides in the first image from Denis Villeneuve's Dune movie, which remains scheduled for a December 2020 release date. One of the more influential sci-fi novels of the 20th century, Frank Herbert's 1965 Dune novel has proven to be a tough nut to crack, as far as screen adaptations go. David Lynch's 1984 film was a box office bomb (though it's since amassed a cult following), while John Harrison's 2000 TV miniseries was much more faithful than Lynch's film, but limited by what it could do in terms of budget.
By comparison, Warner Bros. and Legendary have spent a pretty penny on the new Dune movie, which is intended to be the first of a two-part adaptation of Herbert's source material. On top of that, it boasts lots of big name talent on both sides of the camera, with Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 filmmaker Denis Villeneuve directing a cast led by Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, and Rebecca Ferguson, to name but a few of the actors. The three star here as the members of House Atreides, a powerful family that gains control of the desert planet Arrakis in the story's futuristic setting.
Vanity Fair has now unveiled the first look image from the film (see below), showing Chalamet as Paul Atreides leaving his life of comfort and privilege on "the oceanic world of Caladan" for the far more dangerous (and scorching) realm of Arrakis. The outlet has also confirmed Dune is still being planned for a December 18 release this year, with Villeneuve saying the following in a statement:
Dune was made by people from all over the world. Many of these people are like family to me, and they’re very much in my thoughts. I’m so proud to showcase their hard work. I look forward to a time when we can all get together again as Dune was made to be seen on the big screen.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Chalamet provided some insight into Paul's journey in the film, pointing out he's on "an anti-hero’s-journey of sorts" and believes he's going to Arrakis to study his father (Isaac) and learn to become a leader "before he comes of age, hopefully a decade later, or something like that.” Villeneuve has specifically described Dune as being "Star Wars for adults" in the past, though - as many fans have pointed out - Paul's story and the Dune mythology have more in common with a fantasy epic like The Lord of the Rings than George Lucas' classic space soap opera. That aside, WB is banking heavily on Dune being the potential beginning of a franchise, despite the property's iffy history on the big screen and Villeneuve's own spotty track record at the box office (Blade Runner 2049, while acclaimed, was a commercial flop).
For the time being, however, the movie's December release date is a big question mark. Seeing as filming on Dune wrapped last summer, it should've already been well into post-production by the time the coronavirus pandemic took a turn for the worse back in March. Still, it's less a question of whether the movie will be ready in time and more a matter of whether WB is going to shift it to make room for all the other 2020 films that've already been delayed. The studio has yet to postpone Christopher Nolan's Tenet from its July release date, but it's expected to do so in the near future and may elect to push it to December, replacing Dune as that month's big-budget sci-fi tentpole. The spice must flow, as they say on Arrakis, but it may have to wait until next year.
Source: Vanity Fair
