All 4 Dune Movie Adaptations Besides Denis Villeneuve Projects, Ranked by IMDb
The history of attempts to bring Dune to the screen is no less fascinating than the plot of the novel itself.
Frank Herbert's Dune has long been considered one of the most difficult works to adapt for the screen. The production was complicated by both the technical capabilities of cinema and the epic scope of the original work.
On the eve of the premiere of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, we recall all the attempts to adapt the novel.
4. Jodorowsky’s Dune
IMDb Rating: -
In 1974, Alejandro Jodorowsky decided to make a movie based on Dune. The director had not even read the book, but immediately decided that this movie would change cinema forever. But the album with the storyboard of the movie is the only thing left of the grandiose plan.
The director recruited Pink Floyd, Salvador Dali as Emperor Shaddam IV, Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen and Mick Jagger as Feyd-Rautha. Jodorowsky wrote the script for an approximately 12-hour running time, created storyboards with complex visuals, and failed to find investors for what would become the main unmade film in history.
3. Dune, 1984
IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
In the late 1970s, producer Dino De Laurentiis was confident in the success of adapting Dune, as the popularity of Star Wars indicated that adult science fiction was what viewers needed. A huge amount of money for those times was invested in the production of the film – $42 million, and David Lynch was invited to take the place of the director.
The movie failed miserably at the box office, not even covering its own budget. Critics were hostile to the adaptation, calling the script too chaotic, and fans of the book didn't like that the movie wasn't completely faithful to the original. The director himself admitted that Dune was his biggest creative failure and even disowned it, but blamed it on De Laurentiis, who did not allow the original three-hour version to be released.
2. Frank Herbert’s Dune, 2000
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Everyone forgot about Dune until the early 2000s. John Harrison, who himself was a fan of the book, promised the fans a more accurate adaptation. It was also encouraging that Harrison was not making a movie, but a mini-series for the Sci Fi Channel – which meant there was more time to reveal an intricate plot.
This time Dune turned out to be closer to Herbert's book than Lynch's movie. Harrison allowed himself some deviations from the novel, but what is more important is that the director managed to transfer the mood of the original. Harrison treated Herbert's text with respect, transferring most of the events of the novel to the screen and even expanding the role of Princess Irulan, who, except for the prologue, did not say a word in Lynch's film.
1. Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune, 2003
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Three years later, the three-part Children of Dune mini-series was released, summarizing the events of the second (Dune Messiah) and third (Children of Dune) books. Harrison stepped back from directing and only wrote the script, with TV director Greg Yaitanes (who directed several episodes of House of the Dragon) taking over as director. One of the main roles was played by up-and-coming actor James McAvoy.
This series introduced a new character who was not in the books – Wensicia, Irulan’s sister, and her role was played by Susan Sarandon. In 2003, the show won an Emmy for Best Special Effects.