Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s reboot of the sci-fi classic, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Josh Brolin, will have its world premiere out-of-competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.
The Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures epic, based on Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction best-seller, will premiere Friday, Sept. 3, at Venice’s Sala Grande.
Warner Bros. is a big fan of Venice, having successfully used the Lido as a launchpad for films such as Joker, A Star Is Born and Gravity, which all leveraged their Venice debuts to box office and Oscar success. Villeneuve’s last trip to Venice was with Arrival in 2016.
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Dune‘s all-star cast also features Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.
Villeneuve directed Dune from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth based on Herbert’s novel. Mary Parent, Villeneuve, Cale Boyter and Joe Caracciolo Jr. produced the film. The executive producers were Tanya Lapointe, Joshua Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert.
Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence — a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential — only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Herbert’s book is an enduring classic but has proved tricky to adapt for the big screen. David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation drew mixed reviews and a planned version by ’70s cult Chilean-French director Alejandro Jodorowsky died in the development stage, the story of which is told in Frank Pavich’s 2013 documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune.
There have been a number of TV adaptations based on Herbert’s novel, including Dune (2000), which aired on Syfy in the U.S., and its 2003 sequel, Children of Dune.
The release of Villeneuve’s Dune has been delayed several times amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the U.S, Warner Bros. has decided to release the film simultaneously in theaters and on WB’s HBO Max.
The 2021 Venice Film Festival runs Sept. 1-11.
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