DID LEGENDARY BUY THE DUNE RIGHTS FOR VILLENEUVE?
For Villeneuve, Dune is a dream project. In a September 2016 interview with Variety, while promoting Blade Runner 2049, he described adapting Dune as "a longstanding dream of mine" but "it's a long process to get the rights and I don't think I will succeed." There was no indication in this interview that Villeneuve was in any way attached to a Dune project. Legendary did not buy the film and television rights from the Herbert estate until November and Villeneuve wasn’t officially signed on until the next month.
It’s possible that Villeneuve was already in talks with Legendary at that point and that his involvement with the adaptation was a key selling point for the Herbert estate signing the rights away to a new production company. The timeline is very tight, too much so to be entirely coincidental. It would be notable for Legendary if they saw Villeneuve as a worthy investment, even as the box office numbers for Blade Runner 2049 proved underwhelming.
THE FILM MAY ONLY ADAPT THE FIRST HALF OF THE BOOK
The first edition print of Dune clocked in at 412 pages, although later editions are far longer. The most recent paperback is just under 600 pages. Even before the saga expands into a multitude of sequels (many of which were written or co-written by Brian Herbert, Frank’s son), that first novel is a dense and complex read. It's a multi-layered political saga with complex themes and a massive ensemble of characters. Even Lynch's film, which is 136 minutes long, barely scratched the surface and struggled to condense it all. It’s been all but accepted by Dune fans that any future adaptation would need at least more than one film to get the story going.
Speaking at Rendez-Vous du Cinema Quebecois, Villeneuve confirmed plans to make at least two Dune movies, saying, "Dune will probably take two years to make. The goal is to make two films, maybe more." He also told Fandom, "I could be involved with one or two movies", but that nothing was confirmed because of the difficulties in making it through to theatrical process:
IT WON’T BE LIKE LYNCH OR JODOROWSKY’S VISIONS
Nobody would blame Villeneuve for wanting to take inspiration from David Lynch in any capacity. While his Dune adaptation is flawed and not especially Lynchian, it has real moments of epic bedazzlement. Jodorowsky’s unmade film left behind an array of pre-production materials and sketches that have led to many “What if?” scenarios too. While Villeneuve expressed admiration for Lynch and his vision, he told Yahoo! that his version would be its own thing:
"David Lynch did an adaptation in the ’80s that has some very strong qualities, I mean David Lynch is one of the best filmmakers alive, I have massive respect for him. But when I saw his adaptation I was impressed, but it was not what I had dreamed of, so I’m trying to make the adaptation of my dreams... It will not have any link with the David Lynch movie. I’m going back to the book, and going to the images that came out when I read it."
He also told Fandom that he would not be drawing from Jodorowsky:
"Because Jodorowsky is a very unique visionary. He has a very strong, unique vision. I am a total different human being. It would be very presumptuous and arrogant for me to try. I would love to talk to him. I’ve wanted to meet him for a long time. I think he’s a fantastic filmmaker and I would have loved to see his Dune. I think it would be a very singular Jodorowsky movie. Will it have been the vision I have for Dune? Very far away. I mean, I am sure because he is so unique."
WHEN WILL SHOOTING START?
Brian Herbert has tweeted often about Villeneuve's behind-the-scenes pre-production planning over the past few months, although a start date for production has yet to be announced. Given the scale of the movie and everything required - a massive cast, lengthy shooting time, detailed planning stages (no crew has been announced yet beyond the involvement of screenwriter Eric Roth) - it makes sense that Legendary would not want to set a date in stone.
According to Omega Underground, Villeneuve is planning a return trip to Orgio Film Studios in Budapest, Hungary (the same place where he shot Blade Runner 2049) for principal photography, and that production on Dune could start as early as February 2019.