Denis Villeneuve reveals which three Dune scenes he'd like author Frank Herbert to see

Javier Bardem in Dune
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Dune director Denis Villeneuve has revealed which scenes from the movie that he'd love to show to author Frank Herbert. As you might expect, there are spoilers ahead – you've been warned.

"I think that I would love to show him three scenes," the director told CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast. "I would love to show him the arrival of the Reverend Mother, followed by the Gom Jabbar. I would love to see how he feels about that. I think that’s pretty close to the book! 

"I think I would love to share with him my interpretation of Paul’s first journey in the desert with the Duke and Gurney, when they see a harvester for the first time, and Paul’s first footstep in the desert. I think that it’s slightly different from the book, and I’m pretty proud of how we brought it to the screen. And I would have loved to see what he felt about that approach."

Villeneuve added: "And then, I think that I would have loved to share with him the final sequence of the movie, where Paul finally meets the Fremen. Because THAT is very close to what my dream was when I was a kid. I remember being in the desert, and I was beside Paul Atreides with a camera, and listening to Stilgar in the dark, and I had shivers. I was like, 'Oh God, it’s so close to what I had in mind when I was a kid.' Those are the three."

Dune was first published in 1965, with five sequels following over the next 20 years. Herbert passed away in 1986. Although there's no telling how he would have felt about the latest movie adaptation of his work, his son, Brian Herbert, said last year that Villeneuve's work was the "definitive adaptation"

Dune is out in theaters and on HBO Max now. For more viewing inspiration, check out our picks of the best sci-fi movies of all time. 

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.