By: Amelia Dasari — Editor-in-Chief

Dune hit theaters last weekend on October 22nd, 2021. The sci-fi film is an adaptation of the first novel in the world-famous “Dune Saga”. 

First published as two separate serials in Analog magazine, Dune was written by novelist and journalist Frank Herbert in 1965. It won the Hugo Award and Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966 and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide. Hebert continued to write five sequels to the book. After his death in 1986, Herbert’s son Brian Herbert wrote two additional novels, ending the Saga for good. 

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film started production in 2016, in cooperation with Warner Bros. Pictures. Villeneuve, who has directed the hit movies Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival says that directing Dune has been a lifelong dream of his. “Dune is my world… I remember being mesmerized by it”, said Villeneuve.  

Dune only portrays the events from the first half of the first novel. “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie” as Dune was “too complex” with “power in details” that a single film would fail to capture”, Villeneuve added.

Set over 8,000 years in the future, Dune follows the life of Paul Atreides a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, as he and his family, the noble House Atreides, are thrust into a war for the dangerous desert planet Arrakis

Protagonist Paul Atreides is played by Golden Globe-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet. The film also features other Hollywood stars like Zendaya (as Chani), Oscar Isaacs (as Leto Atreides), Jason Momoa (as Duncan Idaho), and Josh Brolin (as Gurney Halleck). 

Senior Dana Blatte says the cast really drew her to the movie. “I’ve read Dune and was intrigued when it was announced that a film was coming out. I was also excited when I learned that Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya would be in the film,” said Blatte. “They are both really popular actors, and seeing them act together was exciting”. 

The soundtrack for the film, which contains 22 tracks, was scored by Hans Zimmer, a German film score composer and record producer. Zimmer had also previously worked with Villeneuve on Blade Runner 2049. Three soundtrack albums for the film: The Dune Sketchbook (Music from the Soundtrack), Dune (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), and The Art and Soul of Dune, were released on September 3, September 17, and October 22 respectively.

Blatte says she felt the music really tied the movie together. “This book was written over 50 years ago, so I was really surprised how the music fit with the plot”, she said. “Usually when popular novels are adapted into films they miss out really key parts or just aren’t that good. Dune however exceeded my expectations, and really captured what Herbert wrote in his novel”.  

The film has received worldwide praise and has grossed over $292.1 million globally to date. Chalamet confirmed that Dune 2 is in the works with an Instagram post on October 26, 2021, only 4 days after the movie’s release. Dune 2 is expected to hit theaters in October 2023.