Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ Sets Fall 2020 Release Date

Warner Bros. has set a trip to Dune.

The studio announced Friday that filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s big-budget sci-fi adaptation will open on Nov. 20, 2020 in IMAX and 3D.

The all-star cast for the Legendary film includes Timothee Chalamet as the lead character, Paul Atreides, as well as Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin. Jason Momoa, Zendaya and Oscar Isaac are also in talks to join the cast.  

Dune is an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel, which is set in the far futures and tells a sprawling tale of betrayal and intrigue set on the desert planet of Arrakis, which features a rare and valuable spice drug coveted throughout the galaxy. The novel spawned multiple book sequels, as well as a 1984 David Lynch film adaptation.

Villeneuve’s Dune is expected to begin filming in the spring in locations such as Budapest and Jordan. Villeneuve penned the script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, and is is also producing along with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter. Villeneuve’s previous directorial effort, Blade Runner 2049, faltered at the box office when it opened in October 2017, but it earned the type of critical acclaim Villeneuve has grown accustomed to through films such as Sicario (2015) and Arrival (2016), which earned him a best director Oscar nomination.

In Dune, Rebecca Ferguson plays Jessica, the mother to Chalamet’s character. She recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about portraying a member of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful and ancient order of women in the Dune universe.

“There’s a calm empowerment to being the Bene Gesserit that she is,” Ferguson said.

Warner Bros. also set release dates for Sundance coming-of-age film Blinded by the Light, which will open Aug. 14 of this year, followed Nov. 1 by the Edward Norton-directed Motherless Brooklyn.

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