Dune, Timothee Chalamet

[+ E.T.Bass]

I read Timothee Chalamet may get the lead role in a relaunch of Dune. Link below.

So I decided to watch the original last night. Can't say that I liked it. A little bit of David Lynch goes a long way. A less is more kind of thing I guess. Perhaps the relaunch will find success. Sounds like an exciting movie for TC.

https://deadline.com/2018/07/timothee-chalamet-dune-denis-villenueve-legendary-frank-herbert-1202427315/

[MikeBiDude]

Be still my heart....had a crush on Kyle Maclachlan for the longest time. Timothée will resteal my heart as Mohadib

[+ poolboy48220]

I watched Dune when they finally showed it on broadcast TV. There was additional footage, including an expositionary bit at the start explaining the four main planets and their history/roles. I noticed in the credits that David Lynch had his name removed as director, replaced by "Alan Smithee". Through some strange quirk of the rules, "Alan Smithee" is the ONLY name a director can use as a replacement if they are unhappy with the final result of a movie and want their name removed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee

[+ poolboy48220]

There's another version of Dune that never made it to the screen. The documentary "Jodorowsky's Dune" explores the attempt to make it. I thoroughly enjoyed that documentary, that Dune would have been a VERY strange movie. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodorowsky%27s_Dune

[MikeBiDude]

There's another version of Dune that never made it to the screen. The documentary "Jodorowsky's Dune" explores the attempt to make it. I thoroughly enjoyed that documentary, that Dune would have been a VERY strange movie. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodorowsky's_Dune

Wow, that’s really interesting I had no Idea! I’m going to look for the documentary.

[LaffingBear]

There were a few efforts at making DUNE.

 

The Lynch movie, with MacLachlan was ok. I always felt they did a fantastic job with the look and feel of the environment. The story editing was questionable, but its challenging to make a major book series into a standard movie. They practically eliminated Duncan Idaho. And the rainstorm at the end just felt stupid.

 

There was a TV miniseries version in 2000. I felt they did a better job adapting storylines. Alas, anything SyFy Channel produces looks low-budget, while Dune was better than most SyFy productions, the production look and feel was less than amazing. I remember Matt Keeslar catching my attention as Feyd.

 

Here's hoping the latest attempt is a good one.

 

For SciFi/Fantasy fans, I was recently watching a documentary on the history of ILM, how it made screen adaptations of many books possible. And I found myself wondering whether technology would make it possible to create a good movie from Anne MacCaffrey's Pern books.

[+ poolboy48220]

For SciFi/Fantasy fans, I was recently watching a documentary on the history of ILM, how it made screen adaptations of many books possible. And I found myself wondering whether technology would make it possible to create a good movie from Anne MacCaffrey's Pern books.

Game of Thrones has made dragons totally believable, I think Pern would be a great option. I just looked it up and there was some buzz around late 2014 about a Dragonriders of Pern movie, but nothing since.

 

I think the next big challenge is centaurs That "Hercules" miniseries from 2005 with Paul Telfer (who I drooled over) did a laughable job on the centaurs , the last centaur I can remember is Pierce Brosnan in the Percy Jackson movies, also not convincing. Centaurs would make an adaptation of Titan/Wizard/Demon possible, and also Ringworld (the puppeteers) - THOSE would be a challenge. I've always pictured Sigourney Weaver as Cirocco Jones in Titan/Wizard/Demon, although by this time she's getting a bit old to play her.

[MikeBiDude]

Game of Thrones has made dragons totally believable, I think Pern would be a great option. I just looked it up and there was some buzz around late 2014 about a Dragonriders of Pern movie, but nothing since.

 

I think the next big challenge is centaurs That "Hercules" miniseries from 2005 with Paul Telfer (who I drooled over) did a laughable job on the centaurs , the last centaur I can remember is Pierce Brosnan in the Percy Jackson movies, also not convincing. Centaurs would make an adaptation of Titan/Wizard/Demon possible, and also Ringworld (the puppeteers) - THOSE would be a challenge. I've always pictured Sigourney Weaver as Cirocco Jones in Titan/Wizard/Demon, although by this time she's getting a bit old to play her.

Harry Potter centaurs? I don’t remember which movie...but I remember thinking “hmmm, kinda hot”

[+ poolboy48220]

yeah, I forgot about them. They were in the Sorcerer's Stone and Order of the Phoenix movies, possibly more. Totally CGI, I think, not a human torso CGI'd onto a horse body. There was a more significant centaur storyline in "Order of the Phoenix" (a centaur was hired as divination professor after Umbridge fired Trelawney) but that part never made it into the movie.

[+ E.T.Bass]

I watched Dune when they finally showed it on broadcast TV. There was additional footage, including an expositionary bit at the start explaining the four main planets and their history/roles. I noticed in the credits that David Lynch had his name removed as director, replaced by "Alan Smithee". Through some strange quirk of the rules, "Alan Smithee" is the ONLY name a director can use as a replacement if they are unhappy with the final result of a movie and want their name removed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee

 

I watched the Netflix DVD (DVD.com). That version does show David Lynch as the director. Much of the wacky, crazy, psychosexual, masochistic stuff had his fingerprints all over it, I thought.

 

For me the movie was strange (and not in a good Mulholland Drive kind of way) and a bit of a chore to watch.

 

I was not left with the energy to watch much of the DVD extras although I did listen to Raffaella De Laurentiis discuss the special effects production and how difficult it is to edit so many effects into a coherent movie. I agreed on that point and then switched it off.

[MikeBiDude]

There's another version of Dune that never made it to the screen. The documentary "Jodorowsky's Dune" explores the attempt to make it. I thoroughly enjoyed that documentary, that Dune would have been a VERY strange movie. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodorowsky's_Dune

Thanks for the heads up on this. I rented and watched “Jodoworsky’s Dune” via Amazon tonight. I was really fascinated by the documentary. I’m not sure his vision would have ever made it to the screen or been a box office success but his passion for the work is amazing....I felt it.

[+ poolboy48220]

I just watched the new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2 (The Crimes of Grindelwald), and Jodorowsky's son Brontis is in the movie, as the alchemist Nicholas Flamel. I am not sure if this is the same son who he had in mind to play Paul in his version of Dune - my head is exploding in geekery right now and I cannot research this thoroughly.

 

UPDATE: I have recovered sufficiently, is is the same son.

[body2body]

Dune should never have been made as a single film. Lynch’s original cut was over four hours long. Even he knew it was too long and reduced it to a bit over three hours. Exhibitors were balking at such a long film so Dino and Rafaella De Laurentiis worked with Lynch to add the Virginia Madsen introduction, voice over narration, and cut many scenes and re shoot others. They brought the film down to about two hours, but rendered it all but incomprehensible to anyone who had not read the books. Lynch never made any other version of the film. The 1988 TV version of the film with the additional material (186 minutes including the crawl) was done without Lynch’s participation. He did not approve of the extended version hence the Alan Smithee credit.

 

De Laurentiis original choice for director was Ridley Scott, who wanted to make Dune into two films, which was rejected. One can only wonder what might have resulted with a Master like Ridley Scott at the helm and shot as two films so there could have been time for the exposition to build these worlds and characters.

Edited July 24, 2018 by body2body

[MikeBiDude]

Lynch’s original cut was over four hours long. Even he knew it was too long and reduced it to a bit over three hours. Exhibitors were balking at such a long film so Dino and Rafaella De Laurentiis worked with Lynch to add the Virginia Madsen introduction, voice over narration, and cut many scenes and re shoot others. They brought the film down to about two hours, but rendered it all but incomprehensible

Reminiscent of problems Sergio Leone had with “Once Upon A Time In America”. Failed in US theatres, it wasn’t the same movie he premiered in Europe, because of the heavy editing.

 

I have the original version which was resurrected on DVD and watch it at least once a year.

[MikeBiDude]

I just watched the new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2 (The Crimes of Grindelwald), and Jodorowsky's son Brontis is in the movie, as the alchemist Nicholas Flamel. I am not sure if this is the same son who he had in mind to play Paul in his version of Dune - my head is exploding in geekery right now and I cannot research this thoroughly.

 

UPDATE: I have recovered sufficiently, is is the same son.