FIRST LOOK AT

FRANK HERBERT’S GROUND-BREAKING novel is heading to cinema screens – or is due to, at least – courtesy of Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures this Christmas. Director and co-writer Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) says he wants it to be “the Star Wars movie I never saw”.

Timothée Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides, with Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides and Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides. Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Sharon Duncan-Brewster also feature in the cast.

The film, Villeneuve has explained, will go back to the original novel and the imagery that came to him when he first read it, rather than build on or incorporate ideas from previous iterations.

The novel – the first of six written by Herbert himself – will be split in half in order for the story to be told properly across two movies. Villeneuve told Vanity Fair that he “would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie,” saying that “the world is too complex.”

Prepare to travel to Arrakis – the only planet where a valuable resource known as “spice” can be found. But beware the sandworms…

Dune is due in cinemas from 18 December.