Casting six-foot-tall, 25-year-old Kyle MacLachlan as Paul seemed like a stumble right out of the gate. The Paul Atreides of the novel was not only a young teenager, he was a late bloomer. Related: Dune: How Far Into Frank Herbert's Universe Will Villeneuve Go?Īnother disappointment was the casting. This was simply a case where a single novel told a much bigger story than a single film could hold, so perhaps Lynch should've gone the Jackson route of agreeing only to multiple films, rather than one. But he understood the time constraints of film and supported Lynch’s decisions. Important scenes had to be written out, such as the Atreides banquet on Arrakis scene that Frank Herbert felt was of vital importance. To begin with, even though Dune was a single novel, the two hour and seventeen minute running time of the theatrical cut wasn’t nearly long enough to do justice to the intricate story. Many of those that had never read the Dune novel were intrigued by the story when seeing it in theaters in 1984, but fans who loved and appreciated the genius of the novel were disappointed with many of the movie’s aspects. Nevertheless, Universal Pictures made the attempt in 1984, choosing acclaimed director David Lynch to bring the Dune story to life. Matching the smooth transitions of expositional and emotional thoughts and dialogue of the novel seemed like an impossible task on film, especially for just one film. But the Dune novel takes full advantage of literary techniques that make a straightforward screenplay nearly impossible, most notably significant amounts of italicized inner monologue that describe much of the backstory and many of the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Such a strong story seems like it should have been taken to the big screen shortly after its release. Other groundbreaking science fiction works like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and Larry Niven’s Ringworld series felt dry and stiff compared to the warmth and richness of Dune.

A work of towering imagination by Frank Herbert that was published in 1965 (the same year that Ballantine Books published a revised edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in paperback, bringing the story of the One Ring to the masses), Dune is equal parts compelling drama, flawless science fiction, philosophical speculation, and political thriller. Dune is as revered and instrumental to the science fiction genre as The Lord of the Rings is to the high fantasy genre.

Dune trilogy