Dune Trivia | 80 facts about the new sci-fi epic

“Dune” is a new film based on the 1965 Frank Hebert novel of the same name. It is the second attemp to adapt the novel for cinema.

Let’s dive into some trivia and facts about Dune

1. Dune is a 2021 American epic science fiction film
2. It is titled onscreen as Dune: Part One
3. It is directed by Denis Villeneuve
4. With a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth
5. It is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert
6. The first part primarily covers the first half of the book
7. Set in the far future, it follows Paul Atreides, as he and his family, the noble House Atreides, are thrust into a war for the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, between the native Fremen people and the enemy invaders, and former rulers of Arrakis, the House Harkonnen
8. The film stars an ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem
9. Dune has been considered an “unfilmable” work due to its breadth and complexity of plots
10. Prior attempts, such as David Lynch’s 1984 film, did not perform well with critics
11. Following a failed attempt by Paramount Pictures to produce a new adaptation of Herbert’s novel, Legendary Entertainment acquired film and TV rights to the science fiction novel Dune in 2017
12. Development began shortly after, with Villeneuve expressing interest in the project and officially signing on as director in January 2017
13. He worked with Roth and Spaihts to write the screenplay
14. Breaking it into two parts and incorporating an updated 21st century adaptation of the 1965 novel
15. Filming took place from March to July 2019 at various locations including areas in Budapest, Jordan, Norway, and Abu Dhabi
16. Dune premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2021
17. Warner Bros. Pictures theatrically released the film in 2D, 3D, and IMAX internationally on September 15, 2021
18. With a later release in the United States on October 22 and on HBO Max on October 21
19. The film received praise for its direction, performances, visuals, score, and ambition
20. It has grossed $129.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $165 million
21. On November 21, 2016, Legendary Entertainment acquired the film and TV rights for Dune
22. In December 2016, Variety reported that director Denis Villeneuve was in talks with the studio to direct the film
23. In September 2016, Villeneuve expressed his interest in the project, saying that “a longstanding dream of mine is to adapt Dune, but it’s a long process to get the rights, and I don’t think I will succeed”
24. Villeneuve said that he felt he was not ready to direct a Dune movie until he had completed projects like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and that with his background in science fiction films, “Dune is my world”
25. By February 2017, Brian Herbert, son of Frank and author of later books in the Dune series, confirmed that Villeneuve would be directing the project
26. Some of Villeneuve’s previous collaborators on the films Arrival and/or Blade Runner 2049 returned for Dune, including film editor Joe Walker, production designer Patrice Vermette, visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, sound designer Theo Green is also the supervising sound editor together with Mark Mangini and special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer
27. Other previous collaborators dropped out before production began, including visual effects supervisor John Nelson and cinematographer Roger Deakins
28. Deakins was replaced in December 2018 with Greig Fraser
29. New collaborators included supervising art director Tom Brown and stunt coordinator Thomas Struthers
30. Dune was produced by Villeneuve, Mary Parent, and Cale Boyter
31. With Tanya Lapointe, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Jon Spaihts, Richard P. Rubinstein, John Harrison and Herbert W. Gain serving as executive producers
32. And Kevin J. Anderson as creative consultant
33. Game of Thrones language creator David Peterson was confirmed to be developing languages for the film in April 2019
34. Hans Zimmer affirmed he would be scoring Dune near the start of the film’s production in March 2019
35. Zimmer had previously worked with Villeneuve on Blade Runner 2049
36. At the time, Zimmer had been approached by Christopher Nolan for composing on his then-upcoming film Tenet, but Zimmer opted for Dune, citing his personal love for the book as the reason
37. For the first Dune trailer, Zimmer supervised a 32-person choir via FaceTime (necessitated by COVID-19 pandemic restrictions) for the recording of a cover of Pink Floyd’s song “Eclipse”
38. Choir members gathered in groups of four over eight separate sessions in Santa Monica at Zimmer’s Remote Control studio while Zimmer conducted from home
39. Three soundtrack albums will be released for the film, including The Dune Sketchbook (Music from the Soundtrack), Dune (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), and The Art and Soul of Dune on September 3, September 17, and October 22, 2021, respectively
40. Villeneuve said Zimmer spent “months and months creating new instruments, defining, creating, and seeking new sounds, pushing the envelope” and praised his work on the film
41. Two singles were released on July 22, titled “Paul’s Dream” and “Ripples in the Sand”
42. As of October 17, 2021, Dune has grossed $129.7 million worldwide
43. Deadline Hollywood reported that a total box office gross of $300 million “will make many happy from an image-standpoint, even if breakeven is far north of that”
44. The film was released in 14 markets outside the United States on September 15, 2021
45. It grossed $37.9 million
46. ith the largest markets being Russia ($8.9 million), France ($7.2 million), Germany ($4.4 million), Taiwan ($3.4 million), Italy ($2.5 million) and Spain ($2.4 million)
47. After adding an additional $26.3 million from 32 countries in its second weekend, the film had a 10-day running total of $76.5 million
48. In the United States and Canada, the film is projected to gross $30 to 35 million from 4,125 theaters in its opening weekend
49. It made $5.1 million from Thursday night previews
50. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 83% approval rating
51. Based on 309 reviews
52. With an average rating of 7.7/10
53. The website’s critics consensus reads, “Dune occasionally struggles with its unwieldy source material, but those issues are largely overshadowed by the scope and ambition of this visually thrilling adaptation”
54. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100
55. Based on 58 critics
56. Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
57. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale
58. While PostTrak reported filmgoers gave the film an average 4 out of 5 stars
59. Although the sequel has not yet been officially green-lit by Legendary, Villeneuve has stated that the 2021 film will roughly cover the first half of the novel, with a follow-up covering the remaining half
60. He explained, “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie. The world is too complex”
61. Villeneuve, also, said “It’s a world that takes its power in details”
62. In November 2019, Jon Spaihts left his position as showrunner of the Dune: The Sisterhood prequel TV series to focus more on writing the sequel film
63. In June 2020, cinematographer Greig Fraser said, “It’s a fully formed story in itself with places to go. It’s a fully standalone epic film that people will get a lot out of when they see it”
64. However, in December 2020, Villeneuve stated that Warner Bros.’ plan to simultaneously release the film in theaters and on HBO Max could result in the film’s underperforming financially
65. This could lead to cancellation of the planned sequel
66. In February 2021, Eric Roth stated that he has written a full treatment for the potential sequel
67. In an IMAX screening of the film’s first ten minutes, the title read as Dune: Part One, lending credence to plans for further parts
68. In August 2021, Villeneuve was optimistic about the sequel happening, and confirmed that Chani will have a bigger role in it
69. That same month, he also confirmed writing on the sequel had begun
70. Villeneuve said at the Venice Film Festival before the film’s debut that he is planning a trilogy
71. With two films being based on the first novel and the third film being based on Dune Messiah
72. Warner Bros. assured Villeneuve a sequel will be greenlit as long as the film performs well on HBO Max
73. Just days prior to the film’s release, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff stated, “Will we have a sequel to Dune? If you watch the movie you see how it ends. I think you pretty much know the answer to that”
74. As revealed in June 2019, Legendary Television is also producing a spin-off television series, Dune: The Sisterhood, for WarnerMedia’s streaming service, HBO Max
75. The series will focus on the Bene Gesserit and serve as a prequel to the film
76. Villeneuve will direct the series’ pilot, with Spaihts writing the screenplay and Dana Calvo as showrunner for the series
77. Villeneuve and Spaihts will also serve as executive producers alongside Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert
78. However, in November 2019, Spaihts left the series as writer to focus on the sequel film
79. He will remain on as an executive producer
80. Diane Ademu-John was hired as the new showrunner by July 2021