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Original Dune director David Lynch has 'zero interest' in new adapation
David Lynch, director of Dune, is famously not a fan of the adaptation that was reconfigured and recut out from under him back in 1984. His take on the spice-filled desert planet of Arrakis and its denizens had a mangled production that resulted in a box-office flop. Perhaps then it’s no wonder that the legendary filmmaker doesn’t seem to care about the new take on the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel on its way from Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) later this year.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about the film, the man behind Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, and Mulholland Drive didn’t mince words. When asked if he’d seen the new images from Dune, showing off the leads — Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and Zendaya — Lynch replied, “I have zero interest in Dune.”
When asked why, Lynch explained that he still wasn’t over what happened with his take on the tale. “Because it was a heartache for me,” the filmmaker said. “It was a failure and I didn’t have final cut. I’ve told this story a billion times. It’s not the film I wanted to make. I like certain parts of it very much — but it was a total failure for me.”
And that soured him on the material for good. He won’t be seeing Villeneuve’s take on the story either: “I said I’ve got zero interest.” The new adaptation still aims to debut on Dec. 18 as the first of a two-film take on the first novel.
As for Lynch’s next move? While he hopes for a TV series — saying “feature films in my book are in big trouble, except for the big blockbusters” — don’t expect anything coming anytime soon to Netflix, the streamer where his latest surreal work, the monkey-starring short film What Did Jack Do?, landed. When asked about rumors regarding a secretive Netflix original series, Lynch shot them down.
“All these rumors are flying about, but I can tell you that there’s nothing happening in that regard,” Lynch said. “It’s a rumor that even if it was true — there’s nothing happening.”
