Denis Villeneuve, the visionary director who was responsible for films like Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and both parts of Dune, has been responsible for bringing the impossible to the big screen. The ambitious director reflects on one of the most important scenes so far in the Dune franchise and recognizes how difficult it was. Yes, he’s talking about the sandworm-riding scene in Dune: Part Two, in which Paul Atreides mounts a colossal sandworm and rides it like a horse.
Variety reports that Villeneuve spoke about the scene to Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein during a screen talk event at the BFI London Film Festival. The director made sure to include a handful of scenes from the more prominent movies of his career to speak about how they were made, and when he arrived at Dune: Part Two‘s sandworm-riding scene, Villeneuve provided a few details:
“I realized that, the way I wanted to approach this, I didn’t want to compromise. Most important with visual effects is, ‘how will you shoot it?’ And I wanted to shoot it with natural light. And I realized it would take months to shoot it.
Each shot was very complex. Each shot took sometimes half a day, sometimes a day, sometimes a week for one shot because of the complexity. If I had done it myself, I would still be shooting.”
The Variety piece reports Villeneuve’s claims that the sandworm sequences were the responsibility of a single unit and that Atreides’ longest sandworm sequence took 44 days to shoot. The “worm unit,” as he has addressed the team in charge of such complex scenes, is led by Villeneuve’s wife, Tanya Lapointe, who was credited in the film as Second Unit Director. Villeneuve justifies Lapointe’s role in producing the sequences by saying she understood perfectly his vision.
Villeneuve isn’t indifferent to trying to accomplish what seemed impossible in the books written by Frank Herbert. There’s a reason why the film adaptations of Dune have been so successful, both from the critics and from a commercial perspective: He was able to make a movie out of what many deemed impossible to adapt to film.
The Importance of the Dune Franchise in the Sci-Fi Genre
2021’s Dune was a great and effective sci-fi gamble promoted by Warner Bros. Herbert’s 1965 novel had been previously adapted by David Lynch in 1984, and the result was not exactly a critical darling. However, Villeneuve’s high-budget attempt worked beyond expectations: it was critically acclaimed, and it had a good box office performance. This landed him the possibility of making a sequel. The best thing about it? He would have complete creative control.
Dune: Part Two was a sequel to the first gamble that cost an additional $30 million and made $300 million more than the first entry. It was more ambitious in every aspect, with larger set pieces and more complicated visual effects. Additionally, the film’s necessary shift of its lead character resonated with audiences, who immediately started asking about the plans for a third film. Dune 3, or Dune: Messiah, is in the works, but most importantly, it will surely take its time.
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Why Ridley Scott Pulled Out of Directing Dune Despite So Much Promise
Imagining Scott directing a Dune film in his sci-fi prime is still tantalizing.
Villeneuve isn’t a filmmaker set on fan-servicing or rushing to make his films. He has gained the trust of Warner Bros., and he will most likely get a blank check to complete the trilogy. So, if the first sandworm-riding sequences took 44 days and a complete unit to shoot them, what will Dune 3 bring to amaze audiences?
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi