How Denis Villeneuve adapted the impossible Dune saga
It took decades for someone to finally find the courage to adapt Frank Herbert's science fiction masterpiece into a film after David Lynch's somewhat clumsy 1984 attempt. The adaptation of Dune was long considered impossible because it is the first SF book to completely ditch simple spaceship action in favor of a complex, deeply layered universe. Instead of lasers and predictable alien battles, Herbert combined psychology, politics, ecology, and religious fanaticism.
Before he agreed to start filming Dune, Denis Villeneuve set an ultimatum: either the first book would be filmed in two or three parts, or he would not be a part of the project.
Denis Villeneuve not only introduced us to a new world but also made us feel the danger lurking beneath the sand and the weight of the characters' fates.
Changing the rules of science fiction forever
Before Dune hit bookstore shelves in 1965, science fiction was associated only with predictable plots. Stories about space battles, robot invasions, and colorful lasers dominated the genre. It was a time when most people saw science fiction only as entertainment for the youngest age groups. And then Frank Herbert appeared.
Frank decided to show that science fiction could be much more than spaceships. Not only was he not interested in technological superiority, but he completely excluded it. Dune became the first science fiction novel to show that man's greatest strength lies not in metals, but in ourselves. It was precisely the moment when the youngest age groups no longer claimed a monopoly on science fiction. During this period, a new era began when science fiction moved into deeper social analysis.
How Villeneuve created Arrakis without the help of a green screen
Whether it's science fiction or any other genre, we, the audience, are used to "perfect" worlds created entirely by computers. Villeneuve knew that Dune couldn't be filmed that way. And he was right.
To truly feel the harsh conditions of Arrakis, we needed to experience what it was like when the sun was so hot that you couldn't stand outside for long. Instead of green screens, Denis Villeneuve let the actors experience the real, barren deserts of Jordan and Abu Dhabi.
In some parts of the film where visual effects were unavoidable, sand-colored canvases were used. Thanks to the realistic approach to filming, those moments when the actors looked exhausted weren't acting. That was their reality the entire time they were filming in the location.
The IMAX effect: Changing our experience of the desert
To best portray the terrifying nature of Arrakis to viewers, ordinary cameras weren't enough. Denis Villeneuve knew he would have to go with IMAX technology to capture not only the width but also the height and depth of that world.
Unlike the first part, which was largely shot in IMAX, Dune: Part Two was shot entirely in that format. And it really felt like it. For me personally, Arrakis became even more impressive and a bit "beautiful" despite its terrifying character.
The endless dunes, the flying machines known as ornithopters, and the giant sandworms made us feel how small we really are as humans compared to nature.
A year to design a sandworm that doesn't look like a Hollywood monster
Shai-Hulud are not just the heart of Arrakis and the Fremen. They are everything. For Frank Herbert, they were not mere beasts. Sandworms are not only sacred but also an important part of the planet's ecosystem. And that's what impressed me the most as a person who read the book.
Denis Villeneuve fully respected what Frank had imagined and what I, as a reader, had envisioned. That's why Denis didn't want to create another Hollywood movie threat. In fact, he spent over a year with an entire team of designers working on the sandworms' appearance.
To get the most faithful representation of what the book's author originally imagined, they studied prehistoric creatures to create something that looked both terrifying and dignified. They wanted to show the natural way these desert giants moved through the sand. The result was truly incredible. On the big screen, when the Shai-Hulud appeared, you could feel the weight of awe towards a creature that had ruled the planet for over a thousand years.
Hans Zimmer’s creation of a sound that doesn't belong to Earth
While reading books, if you have any imagination, it is not a problem to visualize the described landscape. But what about music? Unlike visualizing what we read, music is something completely different. What should a sandy planet somewhere far in space sound like?
Hans Zimmer managed to answer that question. He spent months blending organic sounds, like bagpipes and ethnic instruments from different cultures, with electronic textures. He discarded classical instruments like violins to create an extraterrestrial feeling.
It is this incredible combination of sound and IMAX effects that created an incredible world. As someone who has read the book, I can say that Denis, like Peter Jackson, managed to transfer the pages of the book to the big screen.