First, an official still from Dune was released, teasing Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. Now, thanks to Vanity Fair, we have various new images of the cast wearing their space gear, including Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, and Josh Brolin.
What's interesting to note is how grounded these images look. Denis Villeneuve's take on the iconic science-fiction novel's dirtier than David Lynch's take, with the colours more muted. However, to note, the images – a selection of which you can see below – are from behind-the-scenes, and not still from the movie itself.
Director Denis Villeneuve, pictured here with Javier Bardem, will bring #Dune to life with not one, but two epic films: “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie. The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details." pic.twitter.com/aTcXkgeva0April 14, 2020
#DUNE FIRST LOOK: Rebecca Ferguson is Lady Jessica Atreides. “She’s a mother, she’s a concubine, she’s a soldier,” says Ferguson. “The quality of the arcs for much of the women have been brought up to a new level."More from @Breznican: https://t.co/ubFGRO3FWu pic.twitter.com/lN9HU00SWrApril 14, 2020
“It was really surreal,” Chalamet told the publication. “There are these Goliath landscapes, which you may imagine existing on planets in our universe, but not on Earth.”
Vanity Fair's profile also confirms that Dune will be released in two instalments, though it's unclear whether they have been filmed back-to-back. "I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie,” Villeneuve said. “The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.”
Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto in DUNE with Gurney in the background. #Dune pic.twitter.com/t9rOGpncQDApril 14, 2020
Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho in DUNE! pic.twitter.com/FS01dOjpbAApril 14, 2020
Zendaya as Chani in DUNE! pic.twitter.com/ujZLx5gcUoApril 14, 2020
The director – best known for Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 – added that filming Dune has been "the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life" which hopefully implies this will be an epic unlike anything we have seen before.
Villeneuve's Dune reaches cinemas on December 18 and has, as yet, not been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. There's no confirmation on when Part II will arrive. For more science-fiction goodness, check out our pieces on:
- The 30 best sci-fi movies
- The 30 best post-apocalyptic movies
- The 25 most iconic sci-fi spaceships
