Frank Herbert’s Dune is the grand-daddy of science fiction epics. It’s got drama, it’s got action, it’s got betrayal and romance and giant worms that rise out of the sands of Arrakis and eat your whole caravan. It’s been praised as one of the greatest science fiction stories ever told, and it was hugely influential on the future of the genre: without Dune, we don’t have Star Wars, and then where would we be?
Dune has been in pretty consistent demand since the book was first published in 1965, but according to Frank Herbert’s son Brian, it’s gotten a boost of late:
Frank Herbert's DUNE is #1 on the current Washington Post mass market paperback bestseller list. More than 50 years after the novel's 1st publication, and 34 years after my father passed away. He lives on through his incredible, beloved novel.https://t.co/np7R03XcGG
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) June 18, 2020
It makes perfect sense that people would be seeking out Dune anew right about now, because Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve is putting the finishing touches on a new movie adaptation that looks, to use the technical term, completely f**king baller. Dune has been adapted to film before, but nothing quite captured the majesty and mystery of the book. David Lynch’s 1984 version was famously plagued by studio interference, and while the Sci-Fi Channel’s adaptation was better, it was hampered by its TV-sized budget.
But Denis Villeneuve’s movie looks bonkers good, to use another technical term. The images we’ve seen so far look lush, lived-in, and detailed. The Dune series is famous for its density, and Villeneuve absolutely seems like the right kind of cerebral director to tackle a series this complex.
So yeah, it’s no surprise that there’s been renewed interest in the original book. In fact, it looks like there’s renewed interest in Dune stuff in general, as the comic book adaptation Brian Herbert wrote with regular collaborator Kevin J. Anderson is also getting some buzz:
DUNE: The Graphic Novel, Book 1 is in the Top 10 on Publishers Weekly’s list of upcoming Fall 2020 adult titles. Lots of excitement for the ground-breaking adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic novel that I co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson. https://t.co/SmIGRKeGLJ pic.twitter.com/x28gUsazmS
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) June 22, 2020
By the way, after Frank Herbert passed away having written six books in the Dune series, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson teamed up for a series of prequels, sequels and side-stories. They’re not as well regarded as Frank Herbert’s original works, but they will provide a lot of material should Villeneuve’s Dune take off take off when it hits theaters this December!
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