Years before Peter Jackson began filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the premise of a theatrical interpretation of the Tolkein epic was brought to the most visionary director of the era — Stanley Kubrick — by the Beatles, of all people. In Kubrick’s opinion, the project was too grandiose to do justice to and it remained unrealized until Jackson undertook the endeavor. Years later, that same issue marred the pre-production of a potential film based on author Frank Herbert’s science-fiction classic Dune. Set to be directed by surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky, the complexity of the novel proved to be too much to condense to put onto the silver screen. For years, Herbert’s magnum opus inspired other iconic sci-fi epics, though it’s 1984 film failed to share the same commercial success. Decades later, each of the Dune images recently released on Instagram give a glimpse into the forthcoming release which seeks to bestow the novel with the critically-acclaimed film adaptation it deserves.
The first images from Dune show the vast desert landscape of the planet Arrakis. Its unforgiving terrain is sojourned by Paul and Alia Atreides, the children of the Duke of their eponymous house who rules the ocean planet Caladan. Far from home, the pair seeks to hunt down the rare spice melange, which is the most valuable commodity in the universe due to its life-enhancing properties. Their journey is interrupted by the forces of a rival house led by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who seeks to prevent the pair of protagonists from succeeding in their mission and gaining House Atreides favor with the Galactic Emperor. These powerful images paint a picture of the forthcoming cinematic excellent set to illustrate Herbet’s timeless story upon its release on December 18, 2020.