Too often there have been instances of studios interfering with the making of a Hollywood production, resulting in the final product coming off as generic at best, mediocre at worst. Stellan Skarsgård, one of the stars of the upcoming Dune, believes this won’t be a fate that befalls Denis Villeneuve’s take on the classic Frank Herbert novel, as from what he’s seen, Villeneuve is being given plenty of freedom. In Skarsgård’s words:
Dune began principal photography back in March and finished rolling cameras in July, though with a long post-production process and reshoots potentially being scheduled, it’s possible the studio, Warner Bros, might take a more active hand later on in the creative process. But for now, per Stellan Skarsgård’s comments to Collider, Dune fans needn’t worry about any interference on Denis Villeneuve’s latest directorial endeavor, as in addition to being a faithful adaptation to the original Dune book, it’ll also has his personal stamp on the material.
Denis Villeneuve already has some experience in the science fiction realm through Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and after saying in 2015 that it was a “longstanding dream” of his to adapt Dune, he officially signed on to the movie in early 2017. Rather than adapt all of Dune into one movie like the David Lynch cinematic adaptation (which was critically maligned, but has gone on to become a cult classic), Villeneuve’s Dune will cover roughly the first half of the book, with the second half being covered in a sequel if the first movie does well.
Stellan Skarsgård is playing Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the primary antagonist who seizes control of the planet Arrakis, the only source of the valued, mind-altering substance spice, from the Atreides family. Skarsgård is part of an ensemble that includes Timothée Hal Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and David Dastmalchian, among others.