Cool News
A Bit of Info on the Upcoming DUNE Miniseries
El Cosmico here, there are a bunch of details around about the upcoming
Sci-Fi Channel
6 part mini-series, produced by New Amsterdam Entertainment...DUNE! Here's a bit
of a wrap-up of what's out there.
Okay, a basic run-down of the facts...the series is set to air in December of
this year, 2000, the writer/director is John Harrison, who has also worked on
"Profiler", "Kindred: The Embraced", "Earth 2", "Tales From the Crypt", and
"Tales From the Darkside".
The mini-series will be a six-hour
set, with William Hurt as Duke Leto Atreides, Giancarlo Giannini as the
Emperor, Shaddam IV, Alec Newman as Paul Atreides (Alec comes from UK
television), Matt Keeslar as Feyd, Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen,
Barbara Kodetova as Chani, and Saskia Reeves as Jessica.
So far, the person attacked to this project who impresses me most is the
cinematographer...none other than Vittorio Storaro, who has won THREE
academy awards for his work, which includes that film that I could
watch over and over in constant succession for the rest of time,
Apocalypse Now. Also impressive is the all-important costume designer,
Theodor Pistek, who won an oscar for Amadeus. One thing seems safe to say,
this mini-series should LOOK excellent, which to me is half the battle.
The official website will launch in June of this year, and I'll let you
guys know when it gets up, but in the mean time, the Sci-Fi Channel ALREADY
has a bunch of yummy photos and info that you really ought to check out.
The more I hear about this series, the more I'm dying to see it. I think
you'll agree.
Here are the relevant links for info:
-El Cosmico
mail me at: elcosmico@austin.rr.com
-
+ Expand All
-
Dune is one of my favorite books of all time. Iv'e read this more than LOTR. I really did not like David Lynch's movie, even though I am a big fan of his otherwise. He took way to many liberties in adapting the book, not to mention shit-eating set designs and third rate special effects. The only good thind was the cast. 1st time i saw Star Trek TNG, i thought, cool they got Gurney Halleck for athe captain. Hopefully with a 6 hour running time, someone will get this right. (First?)
-
I'm not a big fan of the Lynch version either. I know that a lot of people liked the way the characters' internal monologes sounded like they were whispering to themselves, but that really kind of distracted me. Must they be constantly whispering to themselves? Just have their thoughts sound normal. I also hope that some of the vehicles look a little cooler (ugh...the 'thopters...). One of the things I really enjoyed from Lynch's version were the still-suits...i hope this mini-series has a similar designs for those.
-
Anyone remember that parody?
Anyway...I'd have to agree that Lynch was a little too weird for Dune. But let's not forget the "phantom menace" behind the movie's failure: DINO DE LAURENTIIS!!! The man is the kiss of death to any movie he's associated with.
I think the biggest mistake of the earlier adaptation was trying to retain the novel's cerebral aspects. I don't think it's possible to capture the levels of meaning in the novel and still produce a watchable film, at least not under 12 hours. I think what you've basically got to do is preserve the epic, action-oriented bits and discard the political, environmental themes. Just make it a rousing adventure, and leave the meatier intellectual explorations to the novel.
Actually, I think the ideal presentation of Dune would be, not a miniseries, but a full-blown series that would cover Dune through Chapterhouse: Dune within 7 seasons. Now that would be supercool. Not that this will ever happen, but one can dream....
-
That's great casting. And was that Feyd prodding at a slave allegedly hopped up on Elacca drug? I'm glad this will six hours long, it may take that long to adjust to the goofy costumes and painted backdrops. And Lynch's "Dune" rocked, bad effects, ornithopters that don't flap, and all.
-
...not for liking "Dune," but for using the term "cat." It's very cool, though. Anyway, I thought there was plenty to like about Lynch's version -- I thought Sting was pretty cool as Feyd, and the Harkonnens in general were very well-depicted. But I think Lynch reveled in the strangeness at the expense of story. It just doesn't gel for me. It feels too disconnected. While individual moments stand out, the film as a whole just lacks a certain "oomph." And I have to insist on Dino's villainy...I think that any good films that have come out under his oversight have done so despite his deadly touch. For every "Conan the Barbarian," there's a "Conan the Destroyer"..."Desperate Hours"..."Year of the Dragon"...and must I raise the odious spectre of the '76 "King Kong"??? Seriously, from reading the book on the making of Dune, I'm convinced that de Laurentiis undermined the flick with his penny-pinching ways. The film looks cheap at crucial moments when we need to be swept away by the grandeur. And I don't know what it is, but I have yet to see a film shot in Mexico that doesn't take on a certain muddy haze.
-
Not only did I have to sit thru the Lynch version, but I also had to watch it in my 10th grade english class. My teacher would constantly be stopping the film saying how this scene didn't match the book or how that scene shows off the allegory perfectly. It was enough to kill what little merit the film had to start with.
Anyway, I agree with Soichiro it will take more than six hours to do the book justice. -
And I actually like the longer version much better..it makes so much more sense. It's surprisingly faithful to the book (minus some scenes in the Harkonnen suprise attack, for example), and the rest was a good transfer from novel to screen. The bluescreen is crappy (but it all was back then) and even Alia's acting puts Anakin to shame.
-
I have to agree with Soichiro, the movie as a whole wasn't very good. But the individual moments make it worth watching. I do like how the movie matches the book, but Lynch did not tell a good story he only told the important parts. That leaves anyone who has not read the book really lost as to what is happening. I also think that it would take a series to properly relay this tale.
-
It wasn't the producer who killed Dune, it was the studio. As I understand it, all along Lynch was planning on the movie being a full 3-hour epic. And then the studio informed him he had 2 hours 15. That, I feel, is the main reason the movie is so choppy.
And I agree with Lynch about the TV version - it sucks. The only reason to watch it is to see the knife fight was Janus and the funeral afterwards. But, come on. The first two-thirds of the long version only cover the FIRST third of the book. It gets REALLY choppy after that. (and why'd they have to take out Madsen's narration?) -
Dune is one of the greatest Sci-Fi books ever written!!! The reason why Lynch's version did not meet expectations is because Frank Herbert never actually describes the style of the setting so everyone has a different interpretation. This looks damn close to how I imagined it though so i'm keeping hopes high. And yes, a series following all the books would ROCK!!!!
-
I personally am very excited about this. I felt that Lynch tried his best. The "Dune" universe is weird and bizarre, and Lynch is weird and bizarre. Unfortunately his is a different kind of weirdness, and he didn't really appreciate that fact; he thought his approach was universal enough to cover it. Anyways, let's hope that these people can try to get to the true heart of Dune beter than Lynch did. I wonder how much backstory they will provide. The people here on TalkBack have certainly read the books, but the average viewer has not. "Dune" is incredibly vast and it's easy to get lost if you don't get the reference points. On a side note, I was kind of mad that Herbert's son son chose to do "Dune" prequels rather than writing from where "Chapterhouse:Dune" ended. To end it up where it did without closure was maddening. There were way too many loose ends. I hope they get back to it someday.
-
I'm sorry but these shots look like a high school drama production. The backdrops look like...backdrops! the costumes look like something from my little sisters christmas pagent. At the very least Lynch captured the ornamental, imperial, epic feel of Dune. Lynch took a chance on his interpration of the material and did produce an film with a scope that attempts to match the book. Or at least as well as he could in the late 80's! I would rather a MAJOR studio grab this property again and give the book its due! There are plenty of sequals so why does no one smell a franchise here? I'll keep my fingers crossed for the sci-fi channel.
-
until I actually sat down and read the book and realized that David Lynch IS A RAMPAGING CRACK SMOKER!!!!! He was more interested in making the film look cool(or weird) than covering the plot correctly. I've heard the sniveling fanboys whining about how Lynch's version was a 24-hour miniseries epic, but too bad! That just isn't feasible! Burn Lynch's version and let a competent moviemaker do it the right way.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 273 total posts 271 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 92 total posts 92 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 160 total posts 69 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 151 total posts 63 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 67 total posts 59 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 60 total posts 57 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 484 total posts 49 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 69 total posts 42 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 120 total posts 32 posts
- SPACE 2099!! -- 183 total posts 24 posts