As part of their same-day release plan for 2021, HBO Max scheduled Dune to arrive on October 22. Since the film begins screenings one day early, HBO is moving up its launch as well. HBO Max subscribers will get to see the new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s landmark novel starting at 6pm (Eastern Time) on Thursday, October 21.
Dune is in the far future in a universe-spanning human empire where society is controlled by a few noble houses. This empire can only exist thanks to melange, a/k/a the spice. It is a drug that extends life. It also allows for interstellar navigation. Spice gives the awareness and foresight needed to navigate the vastness of space. Spice only exists on one planet, the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis. So control of Arrakis means control of the universe. Dune tells the story of the struggle to control that world.
Denis Villeneuve directs this adaptation of Frank Herbert’s best-selling original novel. The film reportedly only tells the first half of the book. (It is even reported billed as Part One.) But at this time, a follow-up has not been officially announced. Screenwriter Eric Roth says he has written a treatment for a theoretical sequel. A Part Two seems inevitable, given that the film has already crossed the $100 million mark globally before its US and Chinese release. If the film is a big enough success, it could lead to an extended franchise for Warner Brothers. Herbert wrote a total of 6 novels set in the Dune Universe, with more than a dozen more written by his son Brian Herbert and sci-fi stalwart Kevin J. Anderson.
The size and depth of the story of Dune have long been a challenge to anyone who has tried to adapt it. In 1984, auteur David Lynch famously made the first version of Dune for the big screen. It starred Kyle McLachlin (Twin Peaks) as Paul and Sean Young (Blade Runner) as Chani. It featured a pre-Star Trek Patrick Stewart and rock singer Sting. It did poorly at the box office, only grossing $30 million (on a $40 million budget.) It also did not hit with the critics, being included on many lists naming “the worst movie of the year.”
Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh. It also features Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu ‘Beast’ Rabban, and Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.
