The first step of a hero’s journey sometimes begins with a push. At the start of Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic Dune, the young royal Paul Atreides prepares to leave the comfortable life he knows for a desolate, dangerous mining planet known as Arrakis, where his wealthy family will oversee extraction of a spice vital to the galaxy. If he only knew the chaos and death that awaited him, he might be even more sorry to leave.
Tomorrow, Vanity Fair will provide an even more expansive exploration of Villeneuve’s quest to bring Dune to the screen, but today we begin with the central hero: Paul Atreides, a child of privilege raised by a powerful family, but not one strong enough to protect him from the dangers that await.
Beyond the fortifications on Arrakis, giant carnivorous sandworms rule the landscape, while a tribe of indigenous humans known as Fremen, led by Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, somehow survive in the crevices, fearful that their world is about to be turned inside out by those they see as invaders.
Dune, still set to open on December 18, is one of the blockbusters that hasn’t yet shifted back due to the coronavirus outbreak. “Dune was made by people from all over the world. Many of these people are like family to me, and they’re very much in my thoughts,” Villeneuve said. “I’m so proud to showcase their hard work. I look forward to a time when we can all get together again as Dune was made to be seen on the big screen.” For more on Dune, see Vanity Fair on Tuesday.
