The first Dune footage has screened. The preview footage was shown to a small group of industry insiders and has already been hailed as “epic.” Principal photography wrapped not that long ago and Denis Villeneuve is currently in the post-production phase to prepare the long-awaited movie for release at the end of the year. As for the footage that was shown, it was mixed in with cast interviews and behind-the-scenes shots. It does not seem like it was intended for public release, so don’t expect to see it any time soon.
Sci-fi novelist Brian Clement was one of the lucky viewers of the first Dune footage and he has shared his thoughts online for fans. First of all, the footage did not have completed special effects, though Clement describes the cinematography as “beautiful,” while stating, “I’m not exaggerating when I say a lot of people will have goosebumps/tears when they see this movie (I might!). Heck, when they see the footage I saw they will.” The author had to choose his words wisely as not to catch any trouble with Warner Bros.
Dune has been made, or attempted to be made, more than once over the years. Denis Villeneuve has his work cut out for him as fans are eagerly awaiting to see if he succeeds or fails at adapting Frank Herbert’s iconic source material for the big screen. According to Brian Clement, Villeneuve has succeeded. He had this to say and added some pretty crazy comparisons.
“As a follow-up re my opinion on new Dune based only on the footage I saw (since people are curious), I think this will blow people away the way LOTR did 20 years ago, the way Star Wars did 40 years ago. It’s not Jodorowsky or Lynch, but maybe Villeneuve has filmed the un-filmable.”
While the new Dune probably isn’t like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, it seems that Brian Clement is positive that the movie will leave a lasting impact on the world of cinema like the aforementioned movies did. Clement went on to describe the footage as a mix of “grimy realism mixed with dreamy imagery,” which sounds like Blade Runner 2049. Also, the promo footage contained a few shots of Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, including a few in his stillsuit.
A small amount of footage of Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkonnen was seen also seen in the Dune footage, along with a tiny bit of Jason Momoa. Brian Clement went on to tease that the choice of actor for playing Kynes will be a surprise for audiences, while Dave Bautista apparently looks “creepy” in the footage. As to when fans will get to see said footage or the first trailer, Clement has no idea. But, knowing that the promo footage exists could mean that a trailer is on the way. We’ll just have to wait and see what Denis Villeneuve has done with Frank Herbert’s book. You can check out some more footage description below, thanks to Brian Clement’s Twitter account.
I’m in my office now with one of my fellow sci fi nerd fan friends and we’re talking about how my Dune tweet blew up and how it’s killing us that we can’t share the specifics we saw in the preview footage! 😬😅
— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) January 17, 2020
I really didn’t realize just how secret the whole Dune production has been until that tweet about seeing some footage completely blew up. Now I’ve been introduced to a super passionate Dune fanbase going bonkers for any info! (I’m just a guy in Canada working in the industry!)
— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) January 17, 2020
As a follow-up re my opinion on new Dune based only on the footage I saw (since people are curious), I think this will blow people away the way LOTR did 20 years ago, the way Star Wars did 40 years ago. It’s not Jodorowsky or Lynch, but maybe Villeneuve has filmed the unfilmable
— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) January 17, 2020
Apparently I’m now privy to a bunch of secret info from the new Dune? I had no idea it was that secret. There’s no way they can keep a lid on it for long though.
— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) January 17, 2020
I’m not exaggerating when I say a lot of people will have goosebumps/tears when they see this movie (I might!). Heck, when they see the footage I saw they will.
— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) January 17, 2020
Something else I’ll mention re: the Dune footage we were shown: there were wide shots of a group of people I at first thought were members of the Spacing Guild, but then Rabban was among them so I think they were Harkonnens because they all had similar costumes and makeup
— Brian FH Clement (@brianfhclement) January 18, 2020
