Dune (2020) is one of the most anticipated sci-fi movies of the year, but not everyone is convinced the adaptation from Denis Villeneuve will live up to the hype.
Kyle MacLachlan, who starred as Paul Atreides in David Lynch's 1984 Dune, recently told IndieWire that Villeneuve’s two-movie roadmap might not be enough screen time to do the story justice. Here are three reasons he’s right.
3. Dune's politics are super-dense.
MacLachlan puts it like this: "It’s incredibly dense, and a little bit like a house of cards. If you leave out one element of the story or another, the structure tends to wobble, and you don’t get the full effect."
2. More time to tell the whole story.
The success of Game of Thrones and The Witcher proves this correct. Even if the adaptations aren't 100 percent faithful, more of the story can be told.
1. More time to find an audience
Gambling the Dune "brand" on a big blockbuster might not be the best way to sell this concept to the non-diehards. Modern TV (from GoT to Breaking Bad) shows us it's possible to develop a massive following gradually, over a longer period of time.