Pierre Morel to direct Dune
French helmer Taken with Frank Herbert sci-fi epic
After being deserted by Peter Berg, who left for the uncharted waters of Battleship , we wondered if anybody would brave enough to take on the sci-fi epic, and the devoted fanboy army that come as part of the deal.
Well, it appears Taken 's Pierre Morel is next in line for the internet backlash.
Having had success in making a movie mountain out of a monetary molehill with Taken , Morel is undoubtedly skilled at balancing the budget. The only question is whether or not the Gallic director can handle the dosh of Dune, not to mention the demands of an A-list cast.
Let's just say while coolly anticipating the arrival of Morel's new action/thriller From Paris with Love , many will be watching with sharp eyes and baited breath.
Whether Paramount are actually going to stick closely to the original concepts and tones of the classic novel is up in the air, but we reckon they won't be able to shy away from a more modern thematic twist (oil crisis, terrorism - anyone?).
After all, when you are dealing with a classic, never mind one as notoriously thorny as Dune, there will be compromise - but hopefully not on the part of those big sandworm things, which at least everyone can agree are awesome.
Whatever the outcome, you can take bets on hearing from Herbert-philes who will swear they got it all wrong.
Are you Taken with the notion of Pierre Morel? Or prepared to duel over the details of Dune ?
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
There was "no version" of Sonic 3 that wouldn't include Live and Learn according to director Jeff Fowler: "The fans would hunt me down"
Amid Oscar buzz, Zoe Saldana opens up on her new perspective on Hollywood and why she's only really proud of Avatar and Emilia Pérez: "I think I just have to accept who I am as a creative person"