One of the bigger coups in Hollywood at the beginning of this year was the "Dune" adaptation's changing of hands from Peter Berg to "Taken" director Pierre Morel. Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi series has floundered in the world of film since David Lynch famously made things weird with his 1984 interpretation of the story. Syfy did a more faithful miniseries years later, but "Dune" hasn't really ever gotten a proper big screen treatment for mass audiences.
Morel has spoken to MTV a little about his plans since the news emerged, and, being a big fan, I've liked what he's had to say. It's all still very early in the process of course, but it's clear from listening to the guy that he is a fan of the series and that understands there's a spotty history to make good on. Morel spoke on "Dune" again recently with IGN, and while it's still too early for any specific details on what his plans are, he further elaborated on where in the process he is now.
"We're starting from scratch," Morel said. "Peter had an approach which was not mine at all, and we're starting over again. I don't think we're going to keep any elements of the Peter Berg script." The director wasn't ready to share who his writing partner(s) might be, but he did promise that a deal will be "official" next week.
There are a lot of potential minefields for Morel to navigate as he adapts a fresh version of the story for film. There's the Lynch version, which left many fans with unhappy thoughts and gave birth to the idea that maybe "Dune" isn't the sort of story that can be adapted. The monologues, for one, are a challenge. Lynch didn't quite nail them in his version, and Morel now has his own ideas on how to tackle them.
"Everything that is in Paul's head, we'll have to show it on screen and find the right approach to make it visually interesting," he said. "But I think the technology we have now allows us much more than we could do before, so we'll see."
Of course, with the success of "Avatar," the coming 3-D-ification of "Clash of the Titans" and the heavy push in general from Hollywood to put out more movies in 3-D, there's also the question of whether we'll be wearing any funky glasses for our trip to Arrakis.
"It's so early in the project that we haven't had that conversation yet. I'd love it to be 3D, of course. It's the kind of movie that has the scope to be 3D," Morel said. "Will they do it in 3D? I'd push for that, but I don't know. As a viewer, I've just been watching Avatar with my kids twice in the theater already and had a blast. It's an amazing experience."
Are you a "Dune" fan? Do you appreciate anything about Lynch's version? The Syfy miniseries? Do you like what you're hearing from Morel?
** FOLLOW MTV MOVIES BLOG ON TWITTER! **