Denis Villeneuve is often named as one of the greatest movie directors of our time as well as one of the best in history. Indeed, his films are always quite originally, boasting a strong cast, and tackling interesting topics.
Right now, he is working to complete Dune, an epic science fiction film based on one of the greatest soft science fiction books of all time. Here are 10 reasons to be excited for Denis Villeneuve's Dune.
The Book
Good adaptations are usually the ones that are based on a good book - and Frank Herbert's Dune is definitely one of them. It is an epic story that has everything you would want to see in a science fiction novel: great characters, interesting themes, and an engaging plot.
What's important to remember about the book is that it is set in the future and explores the human condition instead of getting into detail about how human technologies will change. This is why Dune is remembered as the colossal work it is.
The Soundtrack
The soundtrack is often something that makes or breaks the movie which is why it is so important that Dune has a good composer attached. And it does - Hans Zimmer will be scoring the film and has called it his passion project.
Zimmer has scored movies of all kinds including The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, Gladiator, Pearl Harbor, The Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The Dark Knight trilogy, Sherlock Holmes movies, Inception, Man of Steel, 12 Years a Slave, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Blade Runner 2049.
Two Movies
Back in 2018, Denis Villeneuve had stated that he wanted to adapt the book in a two-part series. He eventually arranged for two movies to be produced similarly to 2017's It and 2019's It: Chapter 2.
The fact that there will be two movies instead of one speaks volumes. As Villeneuve noted, he wouldn't be making anything if he couldn't get a two-movie deal because one film simply wouldn't be enough to capture the entirety of the novel.
The Style
Style is one of the elements that can truly make a film stand out, and Villeneuve is a director who knows this. His films always stick to a certain color palette to make the look uniform and unique.
He also knows how to use cinematography as one of the key features that define the look of his films. His last four films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography with Blade Runner 2049 even winning it.
The Promo Materials
Promo materials can tell a lot about the film before it has even been released. This is why it is so important to pay attention to them, and Dune's promo materials have been breathtaking so far.
The color palette in the released images, the way the shots are organized, the costume designs of different characters - everything looks amazing.
The Genre
The science fiction genre is incredibly multi-layered. The concept could be a very simple one which allows the budget to be smaller, but it can also be something epic like Star Wars or Interstellar which means you will need to spend a lot of money to make it work.
This is why having a big science fiction blockbuster release like Dune is always an event. In fact, Villeneuve has even compared it to Star Wars saying that he would be making the movies he would have made if he was directing Star Wars films.
The Costume Designs
Because of the story and the setting, the costume designs play an especially important role in Dune. Judging by the promo materials, the costume designers know their job quite well.
In fact, one of the costume designers, Jacqueline West, has been nominated in the corresponding Academy Award category three times: for The Revenant, for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and for Quills. She has also worked on such films as Argo and The Social Network.
The Visuals
As mentioned earlier, Villeneuve really knows how to use cinematography and unleash its full potential. Consequently, we can expect stunning and breathtaking visuals.
There will be spacecrafts and buildings, deserts and the seashore, dialogue scenes, and fighting. Even by looking at Villeneuve's latest Blade Runner 2049, it's obvious that he loves grand science fiction films.
The Cast
What is a movie without its cast? Though Dune's cast has some little known names, most of the actors are quite popular and skilled which means we will be getting A-class acting.
The film's cast includes Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, and others.
It's Denis Villeneuve!
Denis Villeneuve has made a name for himself by directing thoughtful movies that stand out of the crowd and stay with the audience for a long time after the viewing.
Undoubtedly, he is one of the best of his kind and will continue giving us amazing films for years to come. He has the talent and the skills to manage big-budget films just like he does the smaller pictures.