Warner Bros. has finally released the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve‘s highly anticipated Dune. The film, adapted from Frank Herbert‘s 1965 novel of the same name, contains a ridiculously stacked led by Timothée Chalamet and including Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Jason Momoa.
The film tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into great destiny, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. But, malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence; a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential.
The trailer is obviously mightily impressive, as you’d expect of an adaptation of this scale, with this many stars, and one of the best contemporary directors at the helm. Obviously Herbert’s novel has proven to be an incredibly tricky one to adapt, with the most infamous example being David Lynch‘s attempt in the 80s.
This shouldn’t be the disaster that was, but a good trailer certainly doesn’t guarantee a great film in this case, especially considering the complex plot and myriad moving parts. But if anyone can pull it off, Villeneuve can.
The film also stars Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem.
The film is currently scheduled for a Friday, December 18 release, but interestingly the trailer makes no note of the date. Obviously this is due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the studio can’t guarantee that release will hold, so they’re hedging their bets.
Tenet, the first big release since the pandemic began, performed well internationally but tepidly in the US. The numbers aren’t overwhelmingly positive or negative, so it’s unclear right now how the release of that film will effect the decision making of studios with their own upcoming blockbusters. We could see some forge ahead with a cinematic release, but we could see some go a different route.
For now, expect to see Dune and it’s weird looking sandworms at Christmastime.
#Peace.Love.Dune
