‘Dune’ turns 40! Director David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan spoke with ET in 1984 about the first on-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s best-selling novel, ‘Dune.’ David explains why his film is not like ‘Star Wars’ and Kyle talks about his first ever on-screen role. Plus, author Frank Herbert shares what it was like watching the crew create ‘Dune’s massive sandworms.
- Denis Villeneuve, director of “Dune: Part Two,” discussed the challenges of adapting Frank Herbert’s novel and the painful decisions involved in what to include or cut from the movie.
- Changes were made to key characters such as Chani, portrayed by Zendaya, who is more independent and outspoken in the film than in the novel. Anya Taylor-Joy’s character, Alia, is also portrayed differently.
- Villeneuve revealed that not including the character Thufir Hawat in “Dune: Part Two” was one of the most difficult decisions. This choice was due to his adaptation focusing more on the Bene Gesserit, resulting in Mentats like Hawat being less prominent.
- Composer Hans Zimmer continued to write music for the “Dune” series even after being told to stop, driven by his passion for the project and the influence of Herbert’s novel on him since childhood.
- Zimmer’s ongoing work on the score was partly in anticipation of the sequel’s greenlight and to potentially inspire Villeneuve with new ideas.
- Zimmer and actor Josh Brolin collaborated on Gurney Halleck’s song for “Dune: Part Two,” a creative decision inspired directly by Herbert’s novel.
