Re-Porter Blog: The Porter Report #2

Sand Trials

A Closer Look at Warner Bros' Large Scale Sci-fi Epic & Gamble 

by: Brandon Porter

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer." 

    That simple quote seems to speak volumes to an entire nation and world dealing with the continued calamity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear of the unknown, fear that things will get worse, fear that things won't change, fear that things will change, fear of what the next chapter of all of our lives holds. Fear can make us act irrationally and impulsively causing us to descend deeper into self-doubt and anguish. How we chose to confront fear shapes us into the people we are destined to be. Therefore, It's no wonder that this quote is one of the many moments in the trailer for Denis Villeneuve's Dune that leaves an impression for what is shaping up to be the year's most anticipated epic of 2020. With summer pretty much wrapped up, fall and winter are prepping to conclude the year that has been littered with uncertainty and its fair share of tragedy. Bestowed the honor of being the year's holiday cinematic epic, Dune comes into the spotlight as a highly anticipated event while also facing a particularly challenging road of obstacles in its quest to the silver screen.   

For some added context, I'm not familiar with the literary source material. But over the last few years, I've gotten to know a little bit about the series' cult following and how David Lynch's adaptation from 1984 has a lot to do with the anticipation of this new update. So from my perspective, I am treating this as the arrival of a brand new ambitious IP and a potential new franchise from one of the powerhouse studios in Hollywood. That in itself gives this film a pretty steep hill to climb. Introducing a new franchise to cinematic audiences is hard enough. Doing it in the midst of a global pandemic makes the task all the more challenging. That said, the team that Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures have assembled for this film could be what is required to stick the landing.  

Starting at the top, if anyone is more than equipped to handle a film of this magnitude, this scale, and with this cast (trust me, more on them in a minute), it's director Denis Villeneuve. Speaking on Villeneuve as a filmmaker, his resume speaks for itself. Sicario, Prisoners, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 are some of his most notable and acclaimed works. His attention to detail and passion for his craft has made him one of the most reliable directors in the industry. So it should make fans of the series and those familiar with his work excited that he sees Dune a passion project. A fan of the novel since he was a teenager, Villeneuve sees this as an opportunity to craft an adaptation of the 1965 novel that honors the source material while bringing in new fans as well. The movie will only be as good as the work that the director puts into it and lucky for Dune they got a director with a passion for the source material and an eye for detail. 

Besides the director, this film has arguably one of the most incredibly stacked casts I've seen for a film this whole year. To say that the talent is impeccable would undercut the sheer scope of this loaded roster of actors and actresses. The list itself is almost impossible to not faint over. A plethora of young up and coming talent as well as seasoned veterans round out the on-screen players. Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet leads the pack as the protagonist Paul Atreides with Josh Brolin, Oscar Issac, Rebecca Ferguson as Gurney Halleck, Duke Leto Atreides, and Lady Jessica respectively. Additionally, Zendaya Coleman, Jason Mamoa, Javier Bardem, Dave Batista, Stellan Skarsgård, David Dastmalchian, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster round out the collection of talent billed to light up the screen. Directing a cast this size is a big task in itself. But Villeneuve has proven he can handle the challenge and do it with grace and ease. So you have the director, the cast, one of the best composers in Hans Zimmer doing the score, and all the pieces in place to make this a hit. Unfortunately, current circumstances could derail not just the box office haul but the appeal for the general audience to make the trip to see it first hand.

COVID-19 has put Hollywood in a state of emergency that has left a gaping hole in a large chunk of the year. The summer movie season was all but completely wiped out with various theaters shut down since mid-March. Even now with theaters reopening, the amount of unknown still lingering in the air puts the rest of this year and possibly the next few years into question. For Dune, this creates a variety of obstacles that Villeneuve and company will have to overcome. It's already hard enough to not know if your film will even make it to theaters this year but now you have to couple that with the fact that you're the new kid on the block in a market of giants. Disney, Universal, and Paramount all have mega franchises that bring in billions in box office revenue year after year. Warner Bros has its share of franchises and is credited with delivering the first blockbuster to theaters in COVID-19 with the release of Tenet this past weekend. So for them, introducing a new franchise during one of the most important release periods of the year is the right move to stay ahead of the curve. Plus, during a tumultuous year where the studio's competition is pulling out or pushing back its heavyweight IPs, Dune has enough of a cult following and possibly enough intrigue in place to get the general audiences' attention. I'm hoping the film ends up being more of a rebooted Planet of the Apes type of reception and doesn't end up like Warner Bros' other attempt at a sci-fi franchise-starter Jupiter Ascending. 

Dune is an ambitious gamble for the studio and one that honestly has more risk of hurting all parties involved if things go south in the coming months. The 2020 box office is set to have a record low yearly total and it is uncertain when things will get back to normal. So the team for Dune has a lot of decisions to make and a lot of work to do to try and convince moviegoers to experience a film they deem to be the must see event in December. Sure, they can push the film back a year or two. But 2021, 2022, and 2023 are starting to get crowded with the studios prepping to get their theatrical mojo back. Now might be Dune's only chance to get a foothold in popular culture and establish itself as a giant in the genre. There is no doubt that the film will have an uphill battle when it comes to being a worthy spectacle for the end of the year. But the quality of the product and good word of mouth could be just what the film needs to make the climb.