Even a consummate blockbuster auteur like Villeneuve had challenges.Ĭould any Dune adaptation appease the book-is-better-than-the-movie cultists this fantasy tome carries? The dedicated fanbase who can distill their melange, play a baliset, and tell their Gom Jabbar from their Kwisatz Haderach are showing up regardless. This is a worshipped literary Holy Grail that has been chased by many for years and killed a few careers along the way. It’s not an insular time bender or long-distance sequel to an established property. Nonetheless, thanks in part to Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, the 54-year-old Canadian is certainly leading the field by a large margin. Culture writer Steven Kelly of the BBC may have anointed Denis Villeneuve “the sci-fi director of the 21st century” a mere fifth of the way in with decades to go (hyperbole much, Steven?).
