Cool News
Peter Berg Leaves DUNE!! But Who Will Take His Place??
Merrick here...
Initially reported by Pajiba (!?!?) HERE and subsequently confirmed by CHUD (HERE), seems Peter Berg is no longer involved with the DUNE movie we've been hearing about recently.
Pajiba says:
But the big news is, Peter Berg completely dropped the project a few weeks ago — his Film 44 production company backed out, and now Paramount is scrambling to find a new director.
The search, however, has run into two issues: 1) they’re looking for a director who can put the movie together for under $175 million, which sounds manageable, but they don’t want anything resembling the crap effects of the ‘84 film, and 2) they want a director who already has a preexisting passion for the novel and is enthusiastic about the project. Right now, Paramount is shopping the script to two directors: They like Neill Blompkamp (District 9), who has the right vision, but the frontrunner, at the moment, is Neil Marshall (The Descent), who was sent the script early this month. However, despite the enthusiasm of producer, Kevin Misher (Public Enemies), the studio is somewhat tepid on Marshall, uncertain about handing over a $175 million film with franchise potential to a somewhat unknown director whose only hit was the modestly successful The Descent.
Brace for Ratner. He's already at Paramount doing the fourth BEVERLY HILLS COP movie, after all. I'm kidding, I hope.
Meanwhile, Berg is moving forward with his big budget, action heavy production of BATTLESHIP - based on the game of the same name.
Readers Talkback
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Fuck, yeah.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 2:38 p.m. CST
The Fall of the Republic: The Presidency of Barack H. Obama
by Spazatronik2000
http://tinyurl.com/yl8wc8z
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He will respect the canon.
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Lynch's DUNE isn't bad, but it could use a serious re-edit & FX upgrade. If anything, they should make CHILDREN OF DUNE with Kyle MacLachlan as the older Paul.
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forget the movies....just read the books, let your mind make the movie, it will be far better anyway.....
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...but it did occur to me that I'd love to see David Cronenburg's version of Dune. I mean, if Paramount MUST to do this thing...
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No sand Dune for the ice Berg.<p> Good. Berg 'aint all that'.<p> Someone get Verhoeven on the phone.
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He's what, 80 now? But his vision for Dune in early seventies looked amazing.http://data-allocine.blogomaniac.fr/mdata/2/4/2/Z20040203205313330324242/img/dune_palais_harkonnen_version_alejandro.jpg
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Mark Rydell. Joe Roth. Peter Chelsom. Big fans of all their work.
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Let's see...there was the 84 one. Then there was the mini-series around 2000 which spawned a sequel which combined two of the books. Now they want another movie? Wow...why not make a movie based on one of the other books? Or better yet, let people read. I mean it hasn't been 10 years since the last one came out and they are already planning a new one.
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Although, I know I'm in the minority.
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...I thought the effects and art direction were the best part. The look and tone of that movie was the one thing they got spot on.<P>Those cubist shields...The Baron and his all natural people juice remedies...perfection...
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but the set design was beautiful, and thanks to CGI, will probably never be reproduced practically again. And the worms were supposed to look like giant dicks, right?
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ignore previous link: http://tinyurl.com/yj5dqfl
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manually rotoscoping the blue eyes of the Freman...wow.
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of course one could say that for just about any film...
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The movie he did not make 30 years ago is a black hole in the world of sci-fi movies. I mean nothing came even close to what that movie might have been. They were ready to shoot it. I mean it was even storyboarded. Those designs by Giger, Chris Foss and Mobieus are still unmatched.
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...when "under $175 million" is apparently a difficult budget target to hit? Hardly news these days, but it's still sort of appalling to me... You could make, like, ten thousand Paranormal Activities for that...
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Berg would've been absolutely fucking horrible. And please people...don't start bagging on Lynch's Dune.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 2:53 p.m. CST
Seems like the kind of weird shit Del Torro would be into
by JuanSanchez
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I want it. You want it.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 2:54 p.m. CST
...granted, they did blow a lot of the budget on naked Sting...
by FlickaPoo
...just naked is reasonable, but oiled up in a diaper is going to cost you.
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You'd only be able to make about 1,590 Paranormal Activities for $175 million.
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You fucking no-talent, know-nothing asscrust.
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Apparently, he has quite a collection.
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starring Christopher Lambert, Rutger Hauer and Lance Henricksen.
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with Jeffrey Combs, Joan Severance and Wings Hauser.
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...it's popular on Date Night at the Sting household. <P>No disrespect Freddy...we love you.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 3:03 p.m. CST
Plus my patented update of Percepto: DIGITAL PERCEPTO.
by Margot Tenenbaum
Motion captured Percepto effects done in-camera, on set. It's a "game-changer".
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And yes, Freddy, we hope you're teaching those angels how to sing proper, dude.
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That's one hell of a career choice there buddy. But sadly, seriously, why all the remakes/reboots and toys come to life! Can we just get to something original? Why does everything have to have some tie in to past movies/or toys just to get people to walk into the theater? Has society become that vapid that they need to be spoon-fed....er never mind, I just answered my own question.
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... you know you want it.
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Just give them room to breath and room to create. Some artists work better under pressure, just don't suffocate them Paramount.
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I could give you a detailed account of how lacking the 84 version is, but I don't want to spend the next two hours typing. And if I did that I would have to spend another couple explaining the mini series. With that said, I don't mind a third attempt if the director has a passion for the material and desires to bring a faithful version to the screen.
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honestly for all the people bashing Avatar and praising District 9 they're really showing their hypocrisy. District 9 turned into your average action game after the first intriguing 30 minutes.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 3:21 p.m. CST
But with that said Marshall or Blomkamp are better choices...
by TheWaqman
provided they don't stray towards their more flawed nature. Let's hope Marshall doesn't pull another Doomsday on us.
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And for the record, I like Lynch's "Dune".
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But seriously, as much as I loved the David Lynch version, it would be great to see another visionary director like Ridley Scott (who was once attached to it before moving on to do Blade Runner), or David Twohy (whose Chronicles of Riddick was truly epic in scope) give us their take on the material. I think Dune is something like the Batman character in comic books. It lends itself to many different artistic interpretations.
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Too much studio involvement. They won't give Marshal that much money, he doesn't have the talent. All his movies have been low-budget, and they looked it. I don't think he has the vision for it. Blomkamp would be ideal I think, but I've seen interviews and stuff where he says he doesn't want to do anything with all that money, because you don't get to make the movie you want to make. This will be interesting.
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If anyone has proven to be someone that can deliver a movie that looks twice or three times the budget, it's him. Although I'd imagine he'd probably have reservations having to give in to the studio system.
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Anybody who brings up Freddy Mercury in a conversation is all right in my book. What is taking Hollywood so long to make a bio pic of his most interesting life (exotic beginnings in Zanzibar, fish out of water in England, rise to super-stardom, tragic ending, etc.). It would have the greatest soundtrack ever committed to film.
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but he's not ready. Bloomkamp (however you spell it) can do decent scifi on a budget, so he has my vote for "most likely not to run this into the ground". The better question is WHY? This book is completely unfilmable. Over the last 30 years, there have been three spectacular monuments to that statement's indelible truth. Are either Marshall or Bloomkamp brave or tragically misguided enough to build a fourth?
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Fuck, no wonder the industry is falling apart. $170 million for this movie? Fuck, Ron Moore and $10 million gives you a comparable TV version. What a fucking waste of money.
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but it wasn't the effects. I thought almost everything in that movie looked like it was ripped right from the book. The thopers could've used another go, but the stillsuits, shields, worms, sets...all perfect IMO.
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To hear this. When I read what Berg wanted to do, [basically a michael bay version of the story] I was gearing myself up for a cliff notes version of this amazing story. Hopefully this film won't suck now.
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Blomkamp is better suited to earthy stuff. You need someone who can do sumptuous interiors, opulent awe-inspiring vistas, and ebullient thunderous emotion, for Dune -- Tarsem.
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How is David Fincher not attached to this? I mean the dude is supposedly directing everything ever mad? Did he die?
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Now, THERE is a movie I'd rather see than another effing Dune remake. I don't know much about the guy, but Queen rules! "Sheer Heart Attack." All's I need to say.
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...of the books. Sure, to adapt a book of that size they had to move and change things around and that let to some problems, but I wouldn't trade the look of that version for any amount of strict faithfulness or coherence.
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I agree there are many flaws with either, but as a fan of a book you must realize that there is no film version that could ever be made of this that would get it right.
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...mention it.<P>Again, if there must be another DUNE.
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Pull the plug and move on. At a $175+ million budget, you'd only consider the movie a success if it made $200+ million just in the US, and that's not going to happen. An emotionally-detached yet preachy space opera? Look how Keanu's re-make of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" did - $230 million WORLD-WIDE. Bad call, Ripley...bad call.
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Alec Newman and James McAvoy were perfect in their roles. In fact, Children of Dune made McAvoy's career. As far as the existing productions go, the Sci-Fi miniseries were both much closer to the books than the Lynch movie was. As to a new production, Neil Marshall wouldn't be a terrible idea, but Blompkamp is a much better idea. I'm sure he doesn't want to be pigeonholed as a modest to big budget sci-fi director, but really, if you're going to make an exception, I think one of the most important and influential pieces of science-fiction literature would be it.
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Yeah, I thought it was Blomkamp, but that's what I get for using the spelling in the article without verifying it independently.
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to bust out another science fiction movie asap.
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The feel of his movies would mesh well with Dune, I think. Also, as mentioned already, Tarsem would be awesome as well. "The Fall" was fucking cool.
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You know, I think Obama is a terrible president, but if you do nonsensical and aggressive spamming of talkbacks, you're as much of a loon as the people that complained about George Bush in every talkback. It's self-destructive.<p> And did they say '84 dune had bad effects? I thought they were fine, for the time.
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I agree, they were one of the few decent things that network has ever done.
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or allegedly planned biopic of freddie mercury. complete tosh. but then sacha would have had to fight off allegations that he was in someways homophobic. bruno was.
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Everything was wrong with the first Dune, The miniseries was good, but for the crazy costumes and obviously computer effects
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...minuscule but fundamentalist cult-like fan base...doing it right would require a lot of money...dull recent mini-series...and the ground has been pretty well covered, how to find a way to blow people's socks off at this point?
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but I don't see anything in that movie that indicates Blomkamp is the right man for the Dune job.<p> If you look at his shorts and his one feature film, they all show his talent for presenting small stories. Dune seems way too epic for him at this point in his career.
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The Kwizzacks Schadderach. Or something.
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I like the fact that they want someone who loves the novel. I think Neill Blompkamp would be a great choice, he has proven that he can handle special effects and a good story.
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I appreciate the "wishful thinking" but these guys aren't going anywhere near this. These are artists. Fincher, not a bad choice. I watched Hostel 2 last night for the first time and have to admit that while I thought the movie was completely disappointing I was very impressed with the look and style of the movie. I wanna see what Eli Roth can do with a big budget if he could take some time away from cameoing in QT films. Seemed like a huge leap forward from Cabin Fever. I did miss Dr. Mambo however.
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I've read all the books by Herbert and love the Lynch movie. On the other hand, I really disliked the tv mini-series. If they're gona make another adaptation anyway, they better do it right and with people who love the material.
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No to Marshall. Hallelujah that Berg is no longer involved!
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You could give him a fraction of the money and he'd deliver something truly whacked-out and memorable. Would it be a commercial success? Not sure about that one...
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All you JJ Star Trek fans should go check out what a real sci-fi movie looks like.
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except for the ending.. the rain ruined it.. casting was brilliant though
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Lynch's version is the only version I care about. Really thought the 2000 versions or whatever were terrible. Unless someone can live of to the atmosphere and psychedelic nature of the Lynch version, I don't think I'm going to care about yet another Dune...
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"live of" should be "live up"
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is it has never been given the justice (on screen) that the series deserves.. sure everybody knows dune but the other books really make the series what it is .. and the (scifi) miniseries were god offal..
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I know he has a full plate, but with a $175 mil. budget, he's the only sane choice.
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because god offal is probably actually pretty great!
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...who directed 17 BSG episodes, including Daybreak Parts 1&2 and the mini, could pull it off too -- with the aid of Ron Moore (as has been said).
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...or someone else's by the end of the day.
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<p>But I didn't like all the bizarre plot holes of District 9. Unfortunately that's a very common thing with foreign directors. What, no good American Directors?</p><p>Tone is crucial to this project and Dune presents a challenging one. If they can keep it focussed on a Stargate feel, action and adventure instead of gloom and intrigue, it could be fantasticly successful. Although its seriousness is a strength of the story, what sells tickets is FUN. The bleakness of Chronicles of Riddick is probably what doomed it at the theater for example.
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If they really want a foreigner to do it, this is the only guy I would trust.
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Or will he still be shooting Tales from an Ancient Empire for the next five years?
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Paramount = go bankrupt. Hollywood = get new ideas.
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I didn't like Berg's style on The Kingdom. I remember there was a dialogue scene on an airplane and there were about 500 shots in two minutes.
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Exactly. One of the most distracting movies i've ever seen.
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What a catch phrase. Used to describe the dread felt by fans when a high profile director backs out of a tentpole film, and fans suspect the studio will put release date ahead of quality.
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Yeah, well that's never gonna happen. Dream scenario choices Blomkamp, Del Toro, Fincher, Jackson, Cuaron, Aranovsky, Natal etc, etc. The likey shill-out choices: Brett Ratner, Paul Anderson et al
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We basically need that SciFi miniseries redone with the production values of the 84 movie.<BR><BR>Exactly how fucking hard are they (Paramount) trying to make this for themselves
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Didn't he do District 9 for $30 million? Who says he needs $175 million for Dune, which would arguably have less CGI overall than District 9? D9 was filled with pure CGI creatures. The only reason I can see a huge skyrocket in budget is if they went with big names. My guess is the studio would push for someone like Chris Pine, where as Berg would have pushed for someone like Taylor Kitsch.
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He says he isn't a fan of sci-fi. And while the first half of Sunshine is great, the ending isn't so much. I love Boyle, but I'm not sure he is right for Dune. Would I lose my geek card if I admitted I never read any Dune books? What if I said I enjoyed both the Lynch movie and the mini-series? I did think the mini-series was the better way to handle the length of the material. I don't want to sit for a 4 hour movie.
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We've already been through the District 9 plot hole thing (I still think you're full of shit), but what is your basis for saying plot holes are common with foreign directors?
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Since your District 9 plot holes were things the director simply left ambiguous I can see why you might have trouble with foreign directors many of whom, I admit, have a tendency not to spoon feed things to the audience like American directors do.
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This first is Tarsem. That was inspired. At the very least, the man will capture the look and feel of the universe, and in my opinion, that's more than half the battle.<p>The second is Peter Jackson. It seems pretty easy to immediately crap all over this suggestion and not really think about it, but honestly, Dune has a good many similarities with Lord of the Rings. It would require the ability to keep the overall theme and storyline, while not following the canon to the letter. Let's be honest. The only man in the history of cinema or fantasy or sci-fi or frickin' ANYTHING to ever do that perfectly is Peter Jackson.<p>He'll never do it, unless the studio treats him like a human, and not a bag a money, though.
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that's what he's good at. I'm not sure he would have had the artistic vision to pull off dune anyway. Blomkamp seems like a good choice on the surface, but I'd like to see Dune filmed like an old school epic, not a modern action movie. And I'm not sure what they mean about the "crap" effects in the 1984 version. The effects, costumes, acting were all top notch! A lot of the stuff was practically ripped from the pages of the book...the real problem was trying to cram a 1200 page iconic book into a 2hr movie...theres gonna be problems!
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perhaps this is my calling?
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Exactly. I completely agree with you, this should be handled like 'an old school epic'. Whoever they choose would have to fit in with that idea, though, and frankly, I don't actually think either Blomkamp OR Marshall fall into that sort of style. They just, in my opinion, don't work with material that way. HOWEVER. Tarsem and Peter Jackson both do. Sorry. I'm harping on about that. But seriously. Either would be so cool.
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Just announced at Variety.com<p> DUNE the sci-fi rock opera. Following the departure of director Peter Berg, the DUNE project has taken an unexpected turn.<p>Frank Herbert's classic novel will now be reinvisioned as a bio-pic of Queen front man Freddie Mercury.<p> The surviving members of Queen have endorsed the move, calling it 'a bizarre and brilliant decision' and have also revealed that before Freddie's passing they recorded an 85 minute score themed around Dune and Freddie's tumultuous life.<p> Sting has so far been unavailable to comment, but it has been confirmed that he has re-written an old hit for inclusion in the movie, now entitled 'An Englishman In Arrakis'.
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What weird alternate universe is this where it's one of two amazing choices? Fuck yeah, either way!
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Dune will be a big priority for Paramount.
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Agreed regarding your reasons for Jackson which were different than the ones I thought of.<p>Jackson would be great for DUNE IMHO because (1)he can do sweeping saga with emotionally powerful visuals without sacrificing the human story; (2) his casting would be both inspired and imaginative; and (3) the score would be tremendous.
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Oh, god. I think a Jackson Dune trilogy might be phenomenal, but I doubt he's willing to spend another decade of his life on a second geek literary trilogy event.
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That messianic stuff never worked too well for me. And feminists have had a field day decrying the "subservient" roles of most of the female characters of Dune. They have a point, when all the female leads are motivated by the prospect of serving male masters and'or bringing about a male messiah
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Not for Dune, it needs a more inspired, independent filmmaker. The Jackson of Heavenly Creatures might have been a good fit, but I don't want to see Dune turn into a lumbering 2nd unit epic like Lord of the Rings or King Kong. I like a lot of Lord of the Rings but a lot of the scenes are flat, one of the hazards of shooting three films back to back at the same time I guess.
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This'll make up for me crying up a shitstorm when he didn't get the PREDATORS gig.
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But that's the story, you can't change it just to fit the political correctness of the day.
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Chani is a pretty strong female character.
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I love the messianic aspect of Dune, especially tied in with Lynch's disturbing vision sequences in the film.
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I'm glad he's being mentioned. He's the first person that always comes to mind when I think of Dune. A real artist and great storyteller who can say a lot with just visuals. Besides, he's work is pretty as all heck.
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LOL. You're probably 100% correct, but then again, if the offer and terms are right, things change in a huge way.
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Just the visual side of it.
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What a great opportunity to revisit similar ground he excelled at in the Godfather. Give the old man one last shot!
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Oct. 28, 2009, 5:43 p.m. CST
Just announced!! Marshall to direct!! But is it Penny or Garry
by BrashHulk
It's Laverne & Shirley to the rescue!
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...You type just drums sequence...but using thumpers instead?<P>Maybe the same thing for the out of the blue drum solo in Englishman In Arakis.
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Well, that makes at least TWO people who would pay to see a Freddie Mercury bio pic. Let's see... two plus the countless millions of fans around the world (Queen, like the sport of soccer, is an international phenomenon) would make this a guaranteed money-making no-brainer. What does that say about the current execs running the big studios? How can they not see the potential of this project?
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Aronofsky, Tarsem or Fincher. <p>All good choices...But Tarsem would need an iron-clad script from somebody who understands politics and intrigue, not just spectacle. <p>Fincher could get it perfect, but it would take him five years. <p>Aronofsky is probably the best bet right now...But he's circled geek bait before and always went in the other direction. Remember when he was attached to a film version of "Batman Year One"? I'll believe his "Robocop" redo when I see it...)
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Even with 2-3 decades since the last one and a scruffy beard on the today show the man's still in his prime.
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No mediocrity there. And just think about what those sand worms would look like...with strains from Goldsmith's Gremlins theme playing in the background. That I'd pay to see.
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IMHO it would be cool to see a gifted guy like Jackson make a second career out of doing "geek trilogy events." Besides, having done LOTR, he pretty much has a workable system and won't have to start from scratch when it comes to the production side of things.
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...Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet I believe.
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Taj Johnson!! Check out his MySpace page. He looks just like him!! I'd pay for that.
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It only sounds non-sensical because you're skull is filled with mashed potatoes from watching television. I'm only asking people to wake up to the fact that both Bush and Obama are puppet front-men and both parties are the same. I used to be a Democrat but sorry kiddies it's time to man up and put on the big boy pants, going into a voting booth and casting your vote for another lying, glorified used car salesman just isn't going to cut it anymore. The Fall of the Republic: The Presidency of Barack H. Obama http://tinyurl.com/yl8wc8z. This movie's more about Wallstreet than anything else.
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A Dune/Queen mash-up would make so much money, Selznick would crawl out of his grave just to bemoan "Gone With The Wind" losing its status as the most financially successful film ever.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 5:59 p.m. CST
Here's some directors who could be well suited...
by The_Genteel_Gentile
First off, I like BERG, sorry to hear he's off the project. <p> There's the usual suspects of dream directors like RIDLEY SCOTT, JAMES CAMERON, PETER JACKSON, GUILLERMO DEL TORO which would indeed be quite terrific. It definately has to be someone with alot of technical skill, who can handle a giant crew with truely epic results. But here's some other decent choices I could get excited about: <p> 01. MEL GIBSON - Apocaypto, Passion Of The Christ, Braveheart <p> 02. EDWARD ZWICK - The Last Samurai, Glory, Legends Of The Fall, The Siege, Courage Under Fire <p> 03. LUC BESSON - The Fifth Element (He can bring Eric Serra along as well.) <p> 04. ROLAND EMMERICH - Stargate, ID4, The Patriot, 10,000 B.C. (Admit it, he'd be good for this.)<p> 05. GORE VERBINSKI - Pirates Of The Carribean <p> 06. SHAKHAR KAPUR - Elizabeth, The Four Feathers <p> 07. GEORGE MILLER - Mad Max, Babe 2: Pig In The City, Happy Feet <p> 08. ZHANG YIMOU - Hero, House Of Flying Daggers <p> 09. JEAN PIERRE JUENET - City Of Lost Children, Delicatessen, Alien Ressurection <p>10. MARTIN CAMPBELL - The Mask Of Zorro, GoldenEye, Casino Royale, No Escape, Vertical Limit <p> 11. TARSEM - The Fall, The Cell <p> 12. KEVIN REYNOLDS - Robin Hood: Prince Of Theives, Count Of Monte Cristo, Tristan + Isolde <p> 13. WOLFGANG PETERSON - Troy, Enemy Mine, The Neverending Story <p> 14. FRANCIS LAWRENCE - Constantine, I Am Legend <p> 15. ALEX PROYAS - Dark City, I Robot 16. DAVID TWOHY - Pitch Black, Chronicles Of Riddick, The Arrival, Below <p> 17. ANTOINE FUQUA - Tears Of The Sun, King Arthur, Training Day <p> 18. JOHN MCTIERNAN - The 13th Warrior, Predator, Hunt For Red October, Die Hard <p> 19. PAUL VERHOEVEN - Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Robocop, Flesh + Blood, Holloe Man <p> 20. JOHN MOORE - The Omen (2006), Flight Of The Pheonix, Behind Enemy Lines, Max Payne (I know people like to hate on this dude but I find his Omen superior to the original and take another look at those desert vistas in Flight Of The Phoenix. Very atmospheric director IMHO.) <p> I don't know, just spitballin', but Blomkamp could be good, not so confident in Neil Marshal however.
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I believed that he was mainly a visual director until I saw THE FALL, which proves he can knock the human story out of the park too.<p>But he DOES know to do bigger budget look for less.
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What about Tim Burton's "Dune?" How hard would that suck?
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Why not let her take a shot at it?
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Make it so.
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Ah, yes, that would be pure evil. Enough silliness, I'm clocking out for today.
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Man, I wish FOX did the same fucking thing... shop around a franchise like this! Fuck tards.
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Outland is all kinds of awesome. 2010 is unfairly overlooked as well.
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It's Hollywood calling with a project you would knock out of the park.
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Thank you for the brilliant Fir day Night Lights!
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<br><br>Thank God he's off this lame project<br><Br>
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Fuck, I've really got to get back to work.
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Kerry Conran would know the material and Paramount owes him one for fucking up John Carter. Tarsem would also be great but doubt he'd be into the genre. Does this mean Berg is on to WORMS OF THE EARTH?
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That Movie stands as the definitive version imo. Its to me like redoing Wizard of Oz. Its not doable. Mind you they could redo some of the effects like they did for Star Trek... remaster it THX and all... Id sooner buy that than the new movie that wants to look and sound radically different from the 1984 version.
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Check out the Star Trek thread for links!
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He was doing Dune when his brother died and he had to back out - as a result, Lynch picked it up, and we ended up with Blade Runner instead. Now it's time for the master to return to the sand...
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I've never understood the hype. Sandworms. Big fucking deal? This is another flop waiting to happen.
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that sounded weird...<p> ANYWAY, Verbinski! NICE. That's actually very intriguing.<p>I did find that last to be pretty much a walkthrough of directors you like. Which is cool, no hating here. I'm a fan of most of 'em too. I just chuckled when I thought about Martin Campbell directing Dune, for some reason. But no, yah, Gore Verbinski. Good one.
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It's a classic. I've read it 5 or 6 times, always something new to be caught. Give it a try if you've never read it.
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Come on join the crowd! It's G R E A T!!!
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You know what. Maybe I'll get feces thrown at me for saying this, but I'm not really into it either. Really. The book. However. As I was reading it, I felt that hidden in there somewhere was a very, very epic sci-fi masterpiece. Lots of people aren't into Lord of the Rings the book, but ARE into Lord of the Rings the movie. I personally find those people to be ridiculous, but hey. But yah, I felt there was something really fun and special in Dune, even if the book didn't grab me. If you stick with it, it's got some really cinematic stuff up it's sleeve.
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Either is fine with me.
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You're going to look like a total fool come Dec 18th.
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Lynch's version was pretty much horrendous. Miscast left and right, and the story veered *so* far away from the books it was not even funny. Read the books, they read almost like a screenplay, for gods' sake! Think about the introduction of Baron Harkonnen in the books!
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I could give two shits about what got changed from the books. The movie stands alone and well.
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with giant alien monsters on a cool looking alien planet? I just can't get excited about worms and sand. Sorry
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and attention to detail that made LOTR so good.
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You missed an opportunity to regale us all with another one of your 'lists'. I'm dissapointed.
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You know what I'm talking 'bout (if not ask kwisatzhaderach). You'll know why when you see it…
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How amazing is that?!
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were available to purchase.
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Let's remember that Lynch was saddled with Dino De Laurentiis' crack team of Italian FX "maestros". It could have been A LOT worse, believe me. Still, even for the mid-80's, the FX did blow. Especially laughable was the Sandworms, which looked like dick-like sock puppets operated by a crew member with his arm stuck through a hole cut in the bottom of a sand box. "Justa overcrank the a-camera, the worm'll looka big an'a slow an'a the audience won't knowa the diff'rence."
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I'm…Believe me I'm into this movie anyway, AND I've seen the 15 min presentation in 3D (twice). But…seriously, this is, at least on a visual level, truly EPIC.
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I know. WOW. Every shot is a beauty. And it has real feeling as well. This film is going to be massive. The media have failed again in underestimating Cameron.
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Jackson did LOTR well because he was able to make 3 books into 3 movies. How could he do Dune, which is 3 books (Dune, Muad'dib, The Prophet, when it's condensed into one film? People rag on the Sci Fi Channel versions, but the fact is, they split up each episode of that mini series and dedicated to one of the books. And, I only skimmed the thread of the talkback, but has nobody mentioned Terry Gilliam?
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Good call on Frakes. He directed the best of the Star Trek films.
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Frakes directed Thunderbirds.
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Surprised no one has mentioned him yet. <p> Arronofsky also has the propers skills and mindset to do the story justice. <p> And Guillermo del Toro.<p> And most probably Christopher Nolan.
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Who cares? Dune is some boring-ass shite.
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— but, this movie will make about $295 million in the U.S. Probably about $320-$350 million internationally. I'm being conservative (if I'm wrong, I'll own it but for now, I'm going with that).
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Funny, eh. No mention of Gilliam during the whole thread, until now.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 7:06 p.m. CST
...I'm still pushing Jean Pierre Juenet. Watch CITY OF LOST...
by FlickaPoo
...CHILDREN again. I'm telling you.<P>He'd need a good script though. He's another mostly visuals guy.
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I can see it now, instead of red hair, the Harkonnens all have big noses and wear yamulkes. Uh... no. Let Gibson direct Passion of the Christ 2: Woke Up In This Tomb With a Resurrection Like a Horse or some shit.
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I think you're being conservative. This could be Star Wars for a new generation of kids. They're going to lap it up. <p> Anyways midnight here in the UK so have to head. See you tomo for some Cameron love!
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... would give it that "1980's cyberpunk/Moebius/Metal Hurlant" look. Cool, but is that the right visualization for Dune? Hmmm....
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Harry ban this spamming piece of shit
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Oct. 28, 2009, 7:12 p.m. CST
...fuck it. Just have Lynch do it again. Same set design...
by FlickaPoo
...and art director too.
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Dreaming about his face buried in Mary Magdelene's red carpet the whole time.
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it will never get made. i love gilliam, but he is cursed. i know you will all shit a brick when i say this but the Niel Blomkamp (sp?) should direct it. give it that realism to counteract the extreme fantasy of the books.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 7:16 p.m. CST
Gotta agree with "MJohnson", Ridley Scott really is the truth.
by The_Genteel_Gentile
Too bad he's not gonna do it.
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I'd be afraid that it wouldnt make 175 Million at the box office. good grief
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I would have said Hell No to Jonathan Frakes But After What possibly say the greatest episode of Dollhouse last week, Anythings possible.
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the best star trek movie ever! (barring nostalgia for 'wrath of kahn'. he could do a great job with dune!
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The story is right up his alley: it has violence, an exotic culture, an extreme environment, religious/messianic themes...
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And this is why there cannot be a good Dune movie.
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cast and production values would have been great.<p>SciFi suffered from limited budget, and so the great battle scenes were 12 guys punching each other (not unlike Monty Python's Ladies' Historical Society Re-Enactments of Famous Battles). Some of the SciFi casting was good, but some was mind-bogglingly bad (a FAT fremen?).<p> The production values of the film were superb, the epic look and feel was there, and the casting was mostly fantastic.<p>Give Jackson a series of films and a budget, then get the hell out of his way, leave him alone, and await the magic.
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he weirded out Harry Potter, and made the running sequence in Children of Men some of the scariest combat on film. I'd love to see him make the Fremen believable, which up until now they haven't been. Too much talk about how dangerous they are, but not much show.
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but it might be hard turning it into something that would appeal to the mainstream, let alone coming up with something franchise worthy.
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What the fuck happened to Kinka Usher? Dude made Mystery Men and hasn't been seen since. Is he dead?
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The remake won't. It'll have some Middle Eastern woman wailing over some Media Ventures beats.
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Oct. 28, 2009, 9:30 p.m. CST
I really think Eric Serra needs to do the music.
by The_Genteel_Gentile
That whole industrial world music thing he does would suit Dune perfectly I think.
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Good suggestion, Genteel Gentile. GoldenEye and Leon had tits soundtracks. The original's music was so mint because it was very cold and distant, despite being epic. I always thought of the original Dune as being like the anti-Star Wars. It was kind of depressing and weird and creepy and made you not want to live in that world. It boggled my young mind at the time. The music helped achieve this. I just dread some goddamned bombastic Riddick-style piece of shit. Fans of the book claim Lynch fucked it up, but I don't give a fuck because the Lynch version is largely the tits. If not in story n'shit, at least in MOOD and ATMOSPHERE. It's some trippy shit.
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The one with the dead guy- Farley... wow, Davis Spade should kill himself.
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Yet, he's in a fucking ad.
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A Peter Weir directed Dune might be interesting. He definitely has the ability to really make the social commentary angle of Dune shine. <BR><BR>Also, Gorehog, you are a fucking moron. Dune is a quintessential piece of science fiction at its best. And science fiction at its best is social commentary dressed up in a futuristic setting. The whole fucking point of the books is that yes, the Fremen are basically Arabs. The Spice and water are both treated as Oil. That's the whole fucking point, you retard.
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Dune is suited so much more for a TV series than a movie anyway. SyyyyFyyy did that a few years back, not completely ineptly. It was rather humorous that the TV effects were better than the original Dune Movie's effects IMHO<BR><BR> How no one has the guts to put up the money for a TV show which has me baffled since the stories in the series are far superior to Lost or BSG.
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Friday Night Lights, The Rundown, and The Kingdom are all very good films, and quite different from one another. I think, as an action director, he could have added a necessary realism and visceral impact to Dune (which can sometimes get lost in it's own musings). Though I love the idea of Blokamp. <p> Still, Francis Lawrence might be an even better choice provided the cgi is up to snuff.
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Much of Dune is symbolism or references about fighting about religion, the middle east, Oil, modernizing nations, nation building in the 60's/70's by the US and UK. Arab nation formation ala Lawrence of Arabia, drugs, selling your soul for money/power etc. <BR><BR> A serious stab at a TV series might be able to bring this out a little better. So far the Movie and the Syyyfyy version focussed a little too much on the fantasy aspect, but then again that's what most people like about dune, and thy skip over the subtext.
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I guess I'm just really surprised by all the love for Lynch's version. I remember leaving the theatre pissed. And I love Lynch's work. Maybe my expectations as a kid who loved those books so damn much was just too high. Sounds like I need to revisit...
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The 84 version pretty much captured the action part of it, but the depth of the characterizations and symbolism are completely lost in film. Absolutely no way
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Wow, accomplished bit of analysis to detect that the Fremen are an allegory to middle-eastern religious fundamentalists. It may also be of surprise for you to know that the real theme of the book is the manipulation of those same people by outsiders (westerners). No. Fucking. WAY! I know, I'm as amazed as anyone else that science fiction often deals with modern social and political themes through allusion.<P> All kidding aside, I'm very anxious to see how whichever director that takes on the project reflects modern ideas on the subject. Hopefully this will be a smart movie, and not try to turn it into Star Wars like Lynch's version did.
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PAUL VERHOEVEN Make it happen! Black Book was a masterpiece. And he has proven time and time again that he is at home with sci-fi and big budgets. The money ALWAYS winds up on screen with the guy. My second choice for the job (drum roll please)... Music video director Chris Cunningham (of Rubber Johnny) fame. A bit of risk since he hasn't made a feature yet as far as I know but he's made plenty of music videos and commercials and again the money shows up on screen in his work.
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Another excellent choice. He's busy with the post-production of his latest movie 'The Way Back'. This also happens to be his latest since 'Master and Commander,' a movie which had some of the best and most believable battle sequences that I've seen in a long time, and in no small part due to the tension it captured through good old-fashioned acting and casting, instead of hyper-editing and unnecessary special effects. <p> 'The Way Back' comes out in 2010.<p> The announcement of a Peter Weir directed 'Dune' would not only make it easily one of the most anticipated projects, it would also give fans and admirers of the Dune books confidence that the material will be handed with respect. And it would have great appeal among larger audiences, insofar Peter Weir is a highly respected director with an enviable resumé, but also a director that has demonstrated that with the proper material (e.g. The Truman Show) can bring in the bucks.<p> That said, I'd also like to propse the idea of having some of the other directors mentioned to direct the later books up to Chapterhouse Dune (not the crap that his son Brian wrote), since the books are largely different in scope and could thus lend themselves to different directorial styles and narrative emphasis. But with an important caveat: trying to make each adaptation surpass each other in terms of action or 'epicness' would completely undermine the whole project, since they do not all follow the neat narrative and plot progressions Hollywood and most audiences have come to expect out of their franchises. The later Dune books hecome more ambitious in terms of the ideas they illustrate, not necessarily in terms of action. That's not to say that it isn't there - it is - but just occupies less space and isn't as neatly and conventionally integrated into the plot as in the first book.
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...I'm thinkin' one of the few filmmakers walking this planet who can do justice to the size and scope of Frank Herbert's vision is John Woo. While we're at it, I'll nominate Chow Yun Fat as Gurney Halleck. I think Lucas' original plan for STAR WARS had an all Asian cast - why not give it a shot with the original source material, eh? Paramount would never foot the bill, though...
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...I'm thinkin' one of the few filmmakers walking this planet who can do justice to the size and scope of Frank Herbert's vision is John Woo. While we're at it, I'll nominate Chow Yun Fat as Gurney Halleck. I think Lucas' original plan for STAR WARS had an all Asian cast - why not give it a shot with the original source material, eh? Paramount would never foot the bill, though...
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Paul Atreides: Charlie Hunnam<br> Duke Leto: Viggo Mortensen<br> Gurney Halleck: Pierce Brosnan<br> Duncan Idaho: Thomas Jane<br> Feyd-Rautha: Jared Leto<br> Dr Yueh: Ralph Fiennes<br> Lady Jessica: Monica Bellucci<br> Chani: Mary Elizabeth Winstead<br> Emperor Shaddam IV: Frank Langella<br> Piter Devries: Jeremy Davies<br> Liet-Kynes: Sharlto Copley<br> Baron Vladimir: Timothy Spall<br> Thufir Hawat: Christopher Lambert <br> Gaius Helen Mohiam: Helen Mirren<br> Stilgar: Vincent Regan <br>
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Agreed but then again Peter Weir would be an excellent choice for any film. I don't know if Dune deserves his caliber.
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But Brett Rattner? No way... he'd ruin it. I would like to see what Gore Verbinski would do with it. But it will probably be given to one of the "latest" it boys, like Oren Peli or something.
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Three films back to back. Whoever gets the directing gig doesn't concern me so much as who's writting the screen adaptation. Get a killer screen writer and a director with a vision and could be one of THE great trilogies. The source material has been mined and ripped off by enough sci fi movies over the years, time for its own epic faithful adaptation.
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... would be Peter Jackson. He and Phillipa Boyens have proven quite good at adapting in-depth narrative prose to the screen. But that will never happen (unfortunately).
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He should do it.
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but Gilliam is the best name mentioned.
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So's he can have a sci fi flick or series to rival Lucas'. He's been trying it for years lets give him a break. (Although, I do prefer Close Encounters to any Star Wars flick, never was a fan, shoot me if you must.)
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Dune Could *ONLY* Work If Done With LOTRs-Like Commitment
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wow I can't believe I forgot about him. He's a good director.
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Could we have a young Paul for once? Isn't he supposed to be like, 12? Give us a compromise at least with a 16 year old - Even an 18 year old... just not another 30 year old "boy" for gods sake! Think about it from a business perspective... You could be the first adaptation of Dune to get an article in Tiger Beat! (?)
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...would have been amazing, and undoubtedly better than either of the versions we got - but it wouldn't have actually been "Dune" by any stretch of the imagination.
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...sugar coat the hell out of it and tack on some nonsensical 3rd act straight out of his "here is how to ruin a great Phillip K Dick story" method of film making.
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And *then*, if there's still a chance, DUNE.
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He is capable of "dark", let say he approaches the material with his Schindler's List or Munich hat on. Hell War Of The Worlds though impressive for only about the first 50mins give or take was plenty dark. Think he has it in him, would be great to see the old guy make another all time great, it's been some time. I somehow doubt Tin Tin will be the return to form we've all been waiting for. Seriously though, if he pulled it off it would make for epic Lucas' Star Wars Vs. Speilberg's Dune talkbacks.
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It was cutting edge for it's time. the stillsuits were great
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....LOVE Gilliam, think we could well get a great movie, but can't see himm doing a faithful adaptation, his signiture is too distinct it would be more of an inspired by Dune psychotic skull f&*k. As I loved Fear & Loathing, but it was nowhere near reflective of the source material.
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I gotta admit, he did a damn good job directing his episode of Dollhouse last week. Of course, that to DUNE is a big leap...<p> That mention of Mel Gibson got me thinking. He's proven himself an excellent director, and can do epic. Hmm.
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I'll reserve judgement until after Inception is released, see how he handles a big Sci Fi movie.
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They were state-of-the-art when it was made and most of them hold up pretty well today, I think. I like Lynch's Dune. It's not perfect but it's better than anything we'll get now, I bet...
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Wow, that's some pretty good casting. I'm really impressed, especially with Charlie Hunnam was Paul. Quite an inspired choice. I'm not too sure about your Chani or Baron Harkonnen though. I have absolutely no clue who should play Chani, but the Baron should be either Ian McNeice again (you can't argue with what a great job he did in the Sci-fi series), or possibly Pruitt Taylor Vince (imagine Baron Harkonnen with nystagmus...that would probably add to the "creepy" factor). If they go for a really big budget adaptation, they'll probably cast someone like Keira Knightley for Chani. Ugh. Oh, I'd also like to add Meryl Streep or Judi Dench as Gaius Helen Mohiam.
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Cuaron would be a beautiful choice too, but in the eyes of the studios he's probably verboten for sci-fi given the box office failure of Children of Men. Never mind it's one of the best and most intelligent & nuanced sci-fi films of the decade, and exactly the kind of thing you want on your resume prior to doing something like Dune.
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I don't want to see some dipshit ruining Piter de Vries for the umpteenth time. Timothy Spall would make a rubbish Fenring...to be honest I liked the Miroslav Taborsky guy as him. <p>I implore you Hollywood, don't ruin my beloved Dune. You won't be forgiven this time around. Can't they find another children's book series to ruin or something? Dune's too cerebral for their plebeian audiences.
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I have to agree with your good points. But I will never understand what he was trying to do with Minority Report, and cannot help but think what Kubrick originally had in mind with Artificial Intelligence. It always seems to me that he has to turn a story with even just a few fantasy or sci fi elements into some variation of Pinocchio or Peter Pan. If he were to take on Dune, it just seems to me that he would not be able to resist turning the Fremen into dashing heroes instead cunning, scrappy warriors or somehow find a way to make the sandworms cute.
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Although that nutjob Mel Gibson, I hate to say it, would probably make a very good Dune as well.
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I think Ridley Scott has to be the one to do this as I dont think Uwe Boll is available.
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I wanna see PJ do a crafty ass sci fi project.
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but this is not his sensibility. <P>Fox, if you're reading- Neil Marshall + Cyberpunk Survival Horror Alien + Wizard of Oz Storyline= GOLD. <P>Me and Conti will even write it for you, for the price of 2% of the gross, high class hookers and enough blow to kill Tony Montana.
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Jacko & Walsh doing tripped out Sci-Fi, could only begin to imagine the jaw dropping spectacle.
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that is the least interesting suggestion of all of them.
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Just for the sole reason of watching AsimovLives head explode...
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Oct. 29, 2009, 6:35 a.m. CST
Lost Jarv that has to be about the most fatuous statement made o
by KillaKane
Futile in debating the creative abilities of Peter Jackson with you, if you glibly dismiss his output to be devoid of imagination. Yes, I'm sure there are a raft of viable 'interesting' choices (as I'd considered in my earlier TB above) but a big studio high budget franchise like Dune won't be handed over to any left field director, it'll no doubt be a mainstream and commercially proven shooter.
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he made successful movie with GIANT FUCKING ROBOTS,so i am pretty sure he will be able to make successful movies with GIANT FUCKING WORMS.
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Let him try again.
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Im 37 and i've read dune at least 40 times. Made some home movies..... what ever I do, it'll be 100 times better than what Berg or Ratner could do. Peter Jackson and Ridely Scott get my vote.
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Make it happen!!!
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But it might not end up as a faithful adaptation...
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Starring, directed, produced, written, photographed, camera operated, edited, catered, distributed by.... <P>JON HAMM!!!! <p>Thought it needed to be said since it's been at least 6 seconds since some nerd pronounced his undying love for this bloke.
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<p>The books are all about what the characters are thinking, and you can't really film that. I liked the 84 film, but if that's all I saw, I wouldn't understand the hype over Dune.</p> <p>Mel Gibson would be a great choice to direct, but the stories might be too dismissive of faith for him. And it's not a human enough story. Muad'dib might as well be a different species. The Warchowskis, on their best day, could pull it off.</p> <p>As for feminists being dismissive of the story??? I don't think there had ever been a work of fiction that has painted women in a stronger light. That may have been lost in the movie, but it's on every page of the books.</p>
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To nominate jackson shows a lack of imagination from the person doing the nominating. <P>Not the man himself.
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You're obviously an intellect to be reckoned with...for a third grader at any rate. Either way you're an arrogant twat.
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Please Paramount! Here's the chance to completely remedy one of cinema's most egregious "might-have-beens" by asking the man himself, Jodorowsky to step in and bring his very strong vision to the world. With the Rainbow Thief he proved he can work well within a studio, with big name actors.
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Oct. 29, 2009, 9:35 a.m. CST
Mobius, Foss, Geiger and Dali's designs for Jorodowsky's Dune
by KillaKane
were superb, unlikely he'll get a second shot at directing tho, but it'd be a coup to retain some of the visual pre-production elements of his vision.
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but thanks anyway. If you weren't so quick to squeal like a stuck pig when you think (erroneously) that Jackson's being maligned then you may have asked for a clarification.
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Please please please please! With sugar on top?
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..you could have avoided any ambiguity in the first place. BTW: What makes you think you deserve a capital A? or is 'Arrogant twat' your official title?
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Skipped ahead, so I don't know if anyone said it first, but I loved Sunshine...
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Didn't see your Danny Boyle comment
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"What makes you think you deserve a capital A?" <P>Wouldn't the answer be the correct use of punctuation?
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Punctuation = is everything in written language other than the actual letters or numbers, white space, and indentation, i.e common symbol Orthography (",.:;!?). To capitalize the 'A 'in Arrogant twat would only be necessary if it were at the beginning of a sentence, a title or place/name or for emphasis (but this would likely be in caps). So Jarv gets a contemptuous lower case a.
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Arrogant twat WAS at the beginning of the sentence. So you're arguing against yourself?<p> Can't wait to see what happens next. Grammatical flame wars are my favorite.
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Oct. 29, 2009, 11:17 a.m. CST
NO it was'nt Cobra, it has to be the leading letter of a sentenc
by KillaKane
Jesus, what's happening to us??! We're film geeks! this is turning into a feckin' grammar seminar! BTW: Anyone out there read Strunk and White's 'Elements of Style? ;-P
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A gold star to the geek who does!
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I can spot the mistake. You disagreed with the dojo. Now give me my gold fucking star!
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and cut off my Chuck Norris Mullet-tail to appease the Dojo. Forgive my impulsive anger, but bad grammar is the path to cage-rage.
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Burn your mullet upon the altar of shame and inhale deeply.<p> Ahhh. The cleansing stench of burning hair. Your penitence is real.
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How about Greg Yaitanes the director of Children of Dune.
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Self pwnership is always hilarious. <P>Arrogant was the first word in the sentence. Ergo, I capitalised it.
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You opened an apostrophe but didn't close it. <p>The Gold Star still goes to Cobra though. <P>And it was correct use of punctuation because it was the beginning of a sentence. <p>GRAMMAR WAR!!! DICTIONARIES AND POCKET PROTECTORS AT THE READY!!!
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Grammar's for old ladies and fags.
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for the situation in the middle east. boring. not interested.
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If you just can't handle the idea of a movie version true to the psychological, moral, and political complexities of the book, then fuck off. Turning Dune into a Baysplosion fest would literally make me projectile vomit my internal organs all over the back of your simplistic heads in the theater. And I WILL sit behind you. Action is part of the story, not the focus of the story. We NEED sophistication to make this work. Wait a minute...screw it. Let's get Uwe Boll.
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...Grammar is for old ladies, fags and linguistic professors .
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but only when you're wrong? <P>Whoops.
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DOES IT YOU WILL NEED TO HAND OUT CID OR NO ONE WILL GET IT.
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is top notch. Lynch not only nailed the feel of dune but he expanded on it with new dialog. I know Frank Herbert saw and liked the film. The Sci-Fi Channel mini-series are a joke. The costumes alone are so bad. I couldn't even get through the second mini-series.
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...But NOTHING must delay him doing "At The Mountains Of Madness". Period.
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I wasn't disputing/correcting your use of 'A'rrogant but defending the assertion made that I should have used a capital A when I orignally called you an arrogant twat (which still stands btw) and with a slice of miserable prick on the side, forgive me that should be Miserable Prick. A cunt I may be, but thank fuck I'm not you. Snootchies
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Sometimes people's opinions don't actually need to be respected just because they're someone's opinion...especially when the person is just wrong. As you are, for instance.
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Fuck Peter Berg. Fuck him up his fucking ass. Good ridance, asshole.
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With Herbert Jr. and the Hack (KJA) behind the screenplay, this will be revisionist drivel. Let it die.
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Someone with Peter Jackson's commitment is what they need for this. They need a director who is passionate about the books and commited to adapting them respectfully and faithfully. If Paramount can't find that, then they shouldn't move forward on this as it will fail miserably. I still enjoy David Lynch's version, but mainly for the production design and its style. Most of its FX still hold up really well, especially the Navigator. However, it wasn't a very good adaptation of the book. The TV series that was made was cheap and shit. I've read all about Jodorowsky's version and I'll forever be glad that it never saw the light of day as I have no doubt that it would have been utterly horrendous. Del Torro is a bad choice for this. He's more suited to original material rather than adapting pre-existing stuff. Hellboy II was nothing like the comics and I'm not that excited about him doing the Hobbit, but at least he's got Peter Jackson to prevent him from straying too far from the material. With the names that a lot of you here are throwing out, you're more concerned with the visual style, rather than a director who is able to handle the intricacies of these books. With the political climate that exists within the world today, especially in the middle-east, the war on terror, Holy wars from the east declaired upon the west, the Dune books are frighteningly relevant to the world that we are now living in. The comparison's are undeniable. It's brave of a studio to want to undertake this. And what they need is a writer and director who won't try to dance around these issues. Someone who isn't affraid of them. The Dune books are incredibly political. They're not something to be viewed as your standard summer blockbuster as there's very little action in most of them. Ridley Scott is a solid enough choice, but at the same time he's a very safe choice, if you know what I mean. He's not a director who takes risks and as such I wouldn't be all that excited about him doing this. Ratner is a damn hack, and I pray to the Gods that he never gets his hands on something a weighty as this. Personally, my ideal choice, although I have no idea if he is a fan of the books, would be Richard Stanley. But, he's pretty much blacklisted by Hollywood since he got fucked up the arse by Val Kilmer on Dr. Moreau. Wasn't that Paramount? Oh dear...
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Enough said.
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but I think it would be awesome if Aronofsky was given a shot with something that had franchise potential.
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Ratboy is the epitome of a hack, I have enjoyed a couple of his films but its not because of him...If Ratner didn't have Chris Tucker the dude wouldn't have had a career.
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Just kidding!
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I'm being serious this time.
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He did a fine job bringing The Watchmen to the big screen.
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and a complete dipshit as well. Snootchies indeed.
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... I reckon the reason many seem to think the effects were bad is that even though the production design and concepts for the fx were amazing and the actual shots were executed well for the most part, the final optical work went from proficient to bloody awful, which impacts the whole shot/the rest of the work. It is one of the most glaring examples of the potential shortcomings of the optical process both in grading and compositing. Scenes like the one where Paul makes it to the rocks with a worm hot on his tail show how mismatched elements can be even through colour temperature and slight differences in exposure and so on. Shadow/black areas are a complete giveaway with blue,brown and greenish shadows/blacks all clashing horribly. Digital grading and comping has generally made it a thing of the past. <p> Having said that, the dodgy photo/artwork of the tube ship, miscalculated overcranking ratios for the miniatures, the bad roto on the eyes (which wouldn't have looked half as bad with a softer matte) and the wobbly-armed fighting robot WERE all pretty rough. Still, the abstract shields were fantastic. The navigator rocked. The ancient cultural motifs and architectural references (re-used in Riddick to diminishing returns) took sci-fi visuals to a new depth (that's a compliment). The anatomical design of the stillsuit is STILL being done on every genre pic that can get away with it. Personally I love the Harkonnen fighter ship. So different. Visually the film is so RICH and textured. <p> As for adapting the book to film, someone said it above: the book articulates the intrigue and Macchiavellian plotting through internal monologues/thoughts. In something as epic as Dune it would be a joke to do it in voiceover/narration/which is one of the only devices open to you. The thing would come off like a cheap soap opera (which ironically was why I couldn't watch the mini series). Lynch did as well as possible using visual/mental imagery and keeping the voiceovers down. Anyway that's my 2c on it. <p> Oh and I had a hard time believing Alicia Witt grew up to be so foxy - she was freaky in that thing! For he ITHH the Kwittthattthh Haderachhttthh!! Also, MacLachlan was only 22/23 when he did Dune. Not 30.
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Ben Affleck Tonight Hosts
SNL’s 38th Season Finale!! -- 87 total posts 15 posts - Mr. Beaks Reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS! -- 1209 total posts 7 posts
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