Oscar-Nominated “Dune” Screenwriter Jon Spaihts on Decoding Frank Herbert’s Tome

For Dune‘s Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts, the opportunity to help Denis Villeneuve find a way to crack the elusive code to adapting Frank Herbert’s magisterial, meaty sci-fi tome came at a funny time. “I’d decided I wanted to focus on a personal project that I’d direct myself, so I told my reps, ‘No new jobs,'” Spaiths says. “Then my agent called and said Denis Villeneuve is doing Dune, and I said,

Oscar-Nominated “Dune” DP Greig Fraser on Taming an Epic Sci-Fi Beast

Denis Villeneuve is the director to finally tame a film version of Dune, Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel that, over the decades, accidentally spawned a cottage industry of unsuccessful visual projects (see: David Lynch’s 1984 Dune, the SyFy channel’s attempt in 2000, and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune, which never saw the light of day). Casting Timothée Chalamet as young prince Paul Atreides and Zendaya as Chani of the Fremen,

“Dune” Oscar-Nominated Sound Team on Sandworms, Ornithopters & More

The experience of seeing writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated epic Dune was, for this viewer, as much an auditory experience as it was a visual one. The sounds of the alien world depicted in part one of Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel are mesmerizing, from the whispering sands shifting across the desert planet of Arrakis to the oddly soothing purr of the dragon fly-winged aircraft, the ornithopter. For supervising sound editor Mark Mangini and supervising sound editor and sound designer Theo Green,

Oscar-Nominated “Dune” Editor Joe Walker on Finding Intimacy in a Sci-Fi Epic

For editor Joe Walker, cutting Dune was about finding a resonating balance between the epic nature of the story and the intimacy of the characters’ journey. When we interviewed Walker on two occasions back in October of 2021, Dune had just been released and writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s vision for a second and final part had yet to be greenlit. A lot has changed since then. Dune was both a critical and commercial smash,

BAFTA Nominees Includes First Timers Like Will Smith

The British Academy has just released its 2022 list of nominees and their selections include a slew of first time recipients, including mega-stars like Will Smith (King Richard) and Tessa Thompson (Passing), rising stars like Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) and Alaina Haim (Licorice Pizza), and beloved character actors like Ann Dowd (Mass) and Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard).

Oscar Race Shapes Up With “Dune” & “Licorice Pizza” Leading DGA & WGA Nominations

The Oscar race clarified a bit yesterday, with some clear frontrunners emerging from the pack. Oscar voting began in earnest, while four of the most influential guilds delivered their own nominations. The Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, and the American Cinema Editors delivered their lists, giving some shape to the race ahead. The DGA and WGA nominations specifically help define the pack of Oscar hopefuls.

The only two films that were selected by all four groups were Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune and Paul Thomas Anderson’s coming-of-age story Licorice Pizza. 

“Dune” Writer/Director Denis Villeneuve on Bringing a Sci-Fi Epic to Life

When writer/director Denis Villeneuve set out to adapt Frank Herbert’s iconic opus “Dune” for the big screen, he was facing some massive obstacles. Herbert’s classic, set in part on the resource-rich, dangerous desert planet of Arrakis, is notoriously dense and massive. It inspired Star Wars creator George Lucas and Star Trek mastermind Gene Roddenberry, but they had the advantage of taking bits and pieces of Herbert’s iconography—the dangerous desert planet, warring intergalactic tribes,

Best of 2021: “Dune” Hair & Makeup Department Head Donald Mowat’s Delightful & Disturbing Designs

This interview is part of our highly subjective, decidedly non-comprehensive “Best of 2021” year-end list. It was originally published on October 22.

With the highly anticipated release of Dune in theaters and on HBO Max here at a long last, fans will finally see director Denis Villeneuve’s vision of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel come to life. Dune is about the intergalactic power struggle between House Atreides,

“Dune” Dominates Box Office as Desert Power Proves Real

With Dune 2 now official, desert power continues exerting itself over our cinematic landscape. Dune gobbled up another strong week and weekend at the box office, adding $15.5 million domestically, and another $21 million overseas, bringing its global total to a sturdy $292.1 million.

Writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s emphatic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi doorstopper has been a big hit for Warner Bros. in this pandemic-stricken era,

Christopher Nolan Calls Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” a “Gift To Film Fans Everywhere”

Writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was one of the most eagerly-anticipated films of the year and for good reason. Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s legendary 1965 sci-fi novel was always going to be a big swing from one of our most ambitious filmmakers, and arguably one of the greatest living directors of sci-fi. Villeneuve had proven with Blade Runner: 2049 and Arrival that he had the chops to take on Herbert’s notoriously dense,

“Dune” is Denis Villeneuve’s Best Opening & Best IMAX Opening of Pandemic Era

Dune delivered in more ways than one. Co-writer and director Denis Villeneuve enjoyed the best opening weekend of his career as Dune finally hit theaters—and HBO Max—this past weekend. Dune pulled in $40 million at the box office and had the best three-day opening for a Warner Bros. film that was also playing on the same day on HBO Max. Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel also hauled in a pandemic-era best $9 million on IMAX.

How “Dune” Editor Joe Walker Utilized Artificial Intelligence, Hans Zimmer, & Human Vulnerability to Shape Film

For Joe Walker, editing Dune was finding a resonating balance between the epic nature of the story and the intimacy of the characters’ journey.

In director Denis Villeneuve’s adaption of the iconic science-fiction novel by Frank Herbert, viewers are taken on a coming of age story set thousands of years in the future where a natural resource called “Spice” is currency and those who oversee its production own the keys to space travel and commerce.

“Dune” Hair & Makeup Department Head Donald Mowat’s Delightful & Disturbing Designs

With the highly anticipated release of Dune in theaters and on HBO Max here at a long last, fans will finally see director Denis Villeneuve’s vision of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel come to life. Dune is about the intergalactic power struggle between House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and the Fremen. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), his father Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are asked to travel across the galaxy to govern from Arrakis,

“Dune” Editor Joe Walker on Cutting Denis Villeneuve’s Sweeping Epic

Last week in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, UK-raised editor Joe Walker had just finished cutting a TV commercial down to thirty seconds when he took a break to discuss Dune (opening Oct. 22), which clocks in at two hours and thirty-five minutes. “But come on,” Walker laughs. “It feels like thirty seconds.” In 1984, David Lynch’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel failed to translate on the big screen—Villeneuve has solved the Dune riddle and delivered something astonishing.

New “The Matrix Resurrections” & “Dune” Footage Revealed During Emmys

If you want to tease the fact that your premium streaming service has two of the biggest movies of the year coming soon, doing so during the Emmys Telecast is the way to go. Such was the case last night when HBO Max revealed a new trailer teasing their upcoming shows and films.

The new trailer highlights returning series like Insecure, Succession, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. It teases new series like The Sex Lives of College Girls, 

New “Dune” Featurette Reveals a Dream Quest for the Ages

Now that writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune has made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and garnered rave reviews from critics, all that’s left is for the film to premiere in a theater near you on October 22. Yet Warner Bros. still has a few more fresh looks to reveal before the premiere, and the latest is captivating. The new featurette, titled “Desert Visions,” focuses on the dreams of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet),

“Dune” Review Roundup: A Majestic, Astonishingly Vivid Epic Made for the Big Screen

Writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s hotly-anticipated Dune made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this past Friday, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, based on Frank Herbert’s iconic 1965 book, has been on our radar since we first learned he was taking on Herbert’s notoriously dense tome. It was always going to be an immensely challenging adaptation, but one that Villeneuve, fresh off back-to-back sci-fi knockouts with Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049 was ideally suited to take on.

New “Dune” Images Reveal One of the Year’s Most Anticipated Films

Writer/director Denis Villeneuve is already hard at work on the script for Dune 2, while we all patiently await the arrival of the first part of his (we hope) two-part epic. Warner Bros. has revealed a new slew of images from Dune, which is the first attempt at a big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s monumental sci-fi novel since David Lynch gave it a shot—with mixed results—way back in 1984.

The images speak to the sweeping epic that Villeneuve,

Denis Villeneuve Writing Script For “Dune 2” & Zendaya Will Star

Writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune might not have even hit theaters yet, but that hasn’t stopped him from getting to work on the sequel. Villeneuve’s long-awaited adaptation of Frank. Herbert’s colossal, best-selling sci-fi novel is slated to finally bow this October, after making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month. (Not for nothing, fellow filmmaker and Venice juror Chloé Zhao has already seen it and was blown away.) Villeneuve has long made it clear that he had no intention of trying to capture the immensity of Herbert’s vision in a single film,

Chloé Zhao Has Seen “Dune” And Was “Blown Away”

It’s always special when one peer praises the work of another. Such is the case with Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, fresh off becoming the first woman of color to win a Best Director Oscar (and see her film, Nomadland, win Best Picture), praising fellow director Denis Villeneuve’s work in his upcoming film Dune. IndieWire has the scoop, via Sight & Sound, that Zhao saw Villeneuve’s highly-anticipated sci-fi epic ahead of its world premiere on September 3 at the Venice Film Festival.