Months after writing an open letter in protest of WarnerMedia’s move to release his upcoming science-fiction epic, Dune, simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters, director Denis Villeneuve’s wounds have yet to heal. He told Total Film that he’s “still not happy” about what happened, and compared watching Dune at home to driving “a speedboat in your bathtub.”
In December, 2020, days after it was announced that the entirety of Warner Bros.' 2021 slate would be given a simultaneous release in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service, Villeneuve offered a strongly-worded rebuttal to the announcement. He agreed that “public safety comes first” but warned that “streaming alone can’t sustain the film industry.” He was joined in his protest by Christopher Nolan, who expressed dismay at the manner in which Warner Bros. had blindsided the filmmakers, and called HBO Max “the worst streaming service."
Now that the dust has somewhat settled, here’s what Villeneuve had to say:
"First of all, the enemy of cinema is the pandemic. That’s the thing. We understand that the cinema industry is under tremendous pressure right now. That I get. The way it happened, I’m still not happy. Frankly, to watch Dune on a television, the best way I can compare it is to drive a speedboat in your bathtub. For me, it’s ridiculous. It’s a movie that has been made as a tribute to the big-screen experience."
Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s milestone 1965 novel, has previously been adapted for the big screen by David Lynch, to disastrous results. Before that, cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky spent years putting together an adaptation, but it was eventually cancelled due to budget concerns. For many years, as a result, the novel was considered too dense to be made into a movie, a concern that isn’t lost on Villeneuve. He said, however, that because everybody is pleased with the film he’s turned in, he’s “very optimistic” about getting the opportunity to make Dune: Part Two for which he plans to adapt the second half of Herbert's novel.
While Nolan is reportedly being courted by rival studios after his fallout with Warner Bros., Villeneuve has not only another Dune movie to make for the studio, but also a streaming spinoff for HBO Max. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Davie Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, and Javier Bardem, Dune will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and will be released on October 22 in theaters and on HBO Max (for 31 days).
Here’s the official synopsis for Dune:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As 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—only those who can conquer their fear will survive