Frank Herbert's Dune remains one of the most beloved pieces of science fiction literature more than 50 years after its publication, spawning a whole series of novels, as well as several live action adaptations. So far the only theatrical version of Dune has been the 1984 movie directed by David Lynch, which, although bombing commercially and initially being met with negative reception, has become a cult classic. Soon, however, there will be a second Dune movie to check out, as Arrival director Denis Villeneuve is helming his own version of Herbert's tale. Nearly a year and a half after Villeneuve's involvement was confirmed, word's come in that Call Me By Your Name actor Timothée Chalamet is being eyed to lead it.
Timothée Chalamet is reportedly in final negotiations to board Denis Villeneuve's Dune reboot, and according to Deadline, if a deal is reached, Chalamet would play main character Paul Atreides, who was portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynch's Dune movie and Alec Newman in the 2000 Dune TV miniseries and its 2003 sequel. Having previously acted in movies like Interstellar and Men, Women & Children, as well as recurring on TV shows like Royal Pains and Homeland, 2017 was an especially big year for Timothée Chalamet, mainly for his performances as Elio Perlman in Call Me By Your Name and Kyle Scheible in Lady Bird. He'll next be seen in Beautiful Boy this October, but assuming that he signs on to Dune, this will be his first time leading a blockbuster production.
Set centuries in the distant future, when humanity has populated other worlds and noble families fight over control of a drug called Melange, more popularly known as "spice," Dune follows Paul Atreides, whose family, at the start of the book, controls the planet Arrakis, the only world where spice is found. After he and his family are betrayed, Paul leads a revolution to reclaim their rightful inheritance. Paul also appeared in Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, so if Denis Villeneuve's Dune performs well enough and a sequel gets the green light, then presumably Timothée Chalamet will reprise Paul.
Denis Villeneuve has already proved is sci-fi chops with Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and now he's turning attention to Dune, choosing that project over other offers, such as the next James Bond movie. Back in May, Villeneuve confirmed that the script has been completed, and if he has his way, he'll make at least two Dune movies. Legendary also acquired the TV rights to Dune when they purchased the property in late 2016, but there's been no official word yet on if a Dune TV series is in the works, let alone if/how it will connect to the upcoming movie.
Dune doesn't have an assigned release date yet, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for that information and more updates. In the meantime, you can look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what movies are hitting theaters later this year.
