Director Villeneuve Hopes to Win over Fans Old and New with 'Dune' Film

Actor Actor Timothee Chalamet and director Denis Villeneuve at the 78th Venice Film Festival. (Reuters)
Actor Actor Timothee Chalamet and director Denis Villeneuve at the 78th Venice Film Festival. (Reuters)
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Director Villeneuve Hopes to Win over Fans Old and New with 'Dune' Film

Actor Actor Timothee Chalamet and director Denis Villeneuve at the 78th Venice Film Festival. (Reuters)
Actor Actor Timothee Chalamet and director Denis Villeneuve at the 78th Venice Film Festival. (Reuters)

Denis Villeneuve hopes to win over fans of Frank Herbert's epic 1965 science fiction novel "Dune" as well as introduce new ones to the story with his mammoth movie adaptation, the most challenging production of the Canadian director's career.

Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya star in the hotly anticipated film, which hits US and UK cinemas later this month and follows past attempts to take Herbert's 400-page book to the silver screen.

Set in the future where noble families rule planetary fiefs, the story follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet), whose father takes on the stewardship of planet Arrakis, known as Dune to its native Fremen people and contested for its unique spice commodity found in its inhospitable desert.

"It was by far the most challenging thing I've done in my life," Villeneuve, known for "Blade Runner 2049" and "Sicario", told Reuters.

"I had to find an equilibrium between the people who had read the book ... I wanted them to really feel that it was a profound homage to the spirit of the book. At the same time, I wanted people who knew nothing about the book to feel welcome in the world, not left aside."

The two-and-a-half-hour movie, described as part one of the story, is Chalamet's biggest project to date, something he says helped him relate to character Paul overcoming his fears.

"(I've) never been on a project of this size before," Chalamet said. "Sometimes the things you're feeling on set can bleed into the natural arc or progression of a story."

Villeneuve's "Dune" follows Alejandro Jodorowsky's unsuccessful attempt in the mid-1970s and David Lynch's critically-panned 1984 version.

With sweeping landscapes and dark mood, critics have lauded this film as a visual spectacle in reviews.

"It's a book that's been the source material for a lot of bigger ideas like 'Star Wars'," actor Josh Brolin, who plays weapons master Gurney, said.

"The movie's been done in different eras with different technological possibilities. And now we're in an era that's so technologically advanced we're able to see that version of it."

Javier Bardem, who plays Fremen tribe leader Stilgar, said the mood on set was relaxed.

"I never felt that pressure on (Villeneuve) when he was working with us," he said. "It's a huge one, and I wouldn't be able to hold it myself and have the humor, the joy and the attitude that he had on set."

Villeneuve said it was too early to talk about part two but Zendaya hopes her character Chani, who appears in Paul's visions, will be further explored.

"Anyone who's familiar with the books (knows) there’s so much to dive into and there's so much still to come," she said.

"It truly is only the beginning. So I do hope that we get to stay with these characters for a little bit longer."



Spielberg, Spike Lee and Queen Latifah among Standouts in US Arts and Humanities Honored by Biden

First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Spielberg, Spike Lee and Queen Latifah among Standouts in US Arts and Humanities Honored by Biden

First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
First lady Jill Biden speaks as President Joe Biden listen during a National Arts and Humanities Reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden on Monday honored acclaimed filmmakers, singers, writers and others who have made their mark on American culture, awarding the prestigious National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals to 39 recipients.
Filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Ken Burns and singers Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah were among 20 recipients of National Medals of Arts, while the 19 recipients of National Humanities Medals included playwright-screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and historian Jon Meacham, The Associated Press said.
Three of the medals were awarded posthumously: The late singer Selena Quintanilla and artist Ruth Asawa are arts medal winners and the late chef-author Anthony Bourdain was among the humanities medal winners.
“Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done,” Biden said at the White House ceremony.
Biden took a brief detour in his remarks to give a shout-out to Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for the White House.
“I know the power of the women in this room to get things done” and boost the next generation, he said, adding that the female winners were “proving a woman can do anything a man can do, and then some, that includes being president of the United States of America.”
The line drew a standing ovation.
Biden also told the winners that the moment was a “very consequential time in the arts and humanities in America” because “extreme forces are banning books, trying to erase history, spreading misinformation.”
The arts medals are managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the humanities medals by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Actors Idina Menzel and Eva Longoria, producer Bruce Cohen and musicians Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez and Herbert I. Ohta also received arts medals, along with photographers Randy A. Batista and Clyde Butcher, artists Carrie Mae Weems, Alex Katz and Mark Bradford, arts leaders Jo Carole Lauder and Bruce Sagan and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The arts medals are given “to individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”
Other humanities winners included former US poet laureate Joy Harjo, actor-literacy advocate LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast and philanthropists Wallis Annenberg and Darren Walker. The humanities medals honor “an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.”
Humanities medalists ranged from such cultural institutions as the Mellon Foundation and Appalshop to educators Robin Harris, Robert Martin and Ruth J. Simmons to scholars Pauline Yu, Nicolás Kanellos and Robin Wall Kimmerer. Writer Juan Felipe Herrera, filmmaker Dawn Porter and anthropologist Rosita Worl also were honored.