Pierre Morel, whose Taken starring Liam Neeson was one of last year's sleeper hits, has been set to direct Dune, the latest film adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi classic novel. Paramount will be releasing the new venture.
David Lynch directed a much anticipated film version back in 1984, but the superproduction starring Kyle MacLachlan (photo) was deemed too disjointed and confusing by critics and apparently by audiences as well, as the film turned out to be an expensive flop. The special effects, however, were quite good for the time, and the film offered a stellar supporting cast that included Virginia Madsen, Sean Young, Max von Sydow, Linda Hunt, Francesca Annis, Silvana Mangano, Sting, and Freddie Jones.
According to Variety, in late 1974 Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky was set to direct a 10-hour movie adaptation featuring the likes of Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, Hervé Villechaize, Mick Jagger, Gloria Swanson, David Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin and Alain Delon. Unfortunately, that project never materialized.
Set on a distant, arid planet, Herbert's novel chronicles the travails of a young man with a destiny to fulfill. The story offers gigantic worms, a precious spice, and a couple of very strange siblings.
Photo: Universal Pictures