If you haven’t done so already arrive or sicario or Blade Runner 2049we think it’s time to officially declare Denis Villeneuve is one of the best Filmmakers working today.He solidified this and more Dune: Part 2,A An exciting and engaging conclusion. Villeneuve adapts Frank Herbert’s vision dune. This is a question he has been thinking about for decades and has been brewing for a long time.
Few filmmakers have the guts to say, “This story is two movies,” and then convince a studio to agree to that.But Villeneuve did it, and the result was first part Won six Oscars and now another the second part It’s ready to resume at the box office.
io9 recently caught up with the filmmaker, and we discussed all this and more: whether he regrets splitting the story into two parts, how he’s approaching the film differently this time around, the responsibility of bringing Sandworm to the screen, Producing movie starring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, And of course Lego. Plus, if you’re wondering what those little noises in front of the studio logo are about, he explains.
Read our interview with Villeneuve below, and come back Thursday for our spoiler discussion.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Germain Lussier, io9: Congratulations. This movie is fantastic and after seeing the first one and everything else you’ve done, my expectations weren’t any less. But seeing this, I wonder, what happens if the first one doesn’t work? Will this be made? Did you ever think this wouldn’t be made?
Denis Villeneuve: This idea suddenly occurred to me while I was filming first part When I’m in the desert. I remember saying to myself, “Enjoy this moment, because you may not come back here with these characters.” That probably happened.This is part of my gamble [with the adaptation]. But I know Legendary was very happy with the movie when it was finished.In fact, I was quickly assured that there would be a the second part No matter what happened.But let’s say when I’m shooting, I remember that I have to stay calm [this] That may be the case.
io9: Okay. Well, I’m glad we don’t have to deal with that. Let’s talk about the structure of the film that I found interesting. Obviously, the movie is very much about Paul’s journey, and we see an incredible arc there. But after a quick little start, we spent about an hour in the desert with Paul without interruption. How did you decide and decide when to switch to Harkonnen’s story, as opposed to a more traditional cross-cut?
Villeneuve: Yes. The idea is really to make the movie as immersive as possible, and in the beginning you have to really believe that Paul is rooting into the Fremen culture and that he’s earned their trust. I think it was more of a cinematic way to approach it, making it into these big chunks, rather than having like exotic moments scattered throughout the script.I want [make sure] The audience, like Paul in the film, is immersed in the Freemen culture and feels the first part of his arc. This makes the feeling stronger.
io9: When did you make this decision? Is it during writing or editing?
Villeneuve: Both writing and editing.
io9: Got it.I love that both movies have this weird little moment before some kind of studio logo dune Language statement. Is this something you have to get the studio to accept? Because ultimately it’s their movie and you’re going to put your mark before their mark. Is there any resistance? What are your thoughts on doing this?
Villeneuve: first time in first partThe thing is, when we were doing sound design and developing sound ideas, we came up with this language developed by Hans Zimmer, and I just love it. One idea is to put a statement before the logo to own the space. Maybe it was a reaction on my part, an arrogant reaction, but I didn’t get any pushback. Everyone liked the idea. I love watching movies where instead of a slow decline, it starts suddenly. You leave behind the parking lot and worries about dinner. [Slap noise] Right away, it’s like, “Okay, guys, listen.” It’s kind of like being in a theater and there’s a rumble at the beginning saying to the audience, “Okay, be quiet, let’s start now.” I love that.
io9: Yes. marvelous. Now, I haven’t read the original book in a few years, but watching the movie, it seems like you significantly enhanced Charney’s character in the story. It works great, but I’m curious how you made this decision.
Villeneuve: This is important.The fact is that when Frank Herbert wrote dune, he was disappointed with how people viewed the book. He didn’t want to glorify heroes; he wanted the book to be more of a warning against charismatic, messianic figures.To correct this way of looking at things, he wrote dune messiah Make sure people understand his original intentions. Me, it’s good for me to know that.I was lucky enough to read dune messiah. So I tried to make this adaptation closer to Frank Herbert’s early ideas and his original intentions – and to do that, I changed the character of Charney a little bit. Giving her more agenda and dimension makes her a more interesting character in the movie, in my opinion.
io9: This is kind of stupid. I love seeing sandworms being ridden in movies, but to do that requires a thumper. Once the worms arrive, those thumping sounds seem to go away. How much do you know about thumper production or logistics in this world? How many do they have? Where do they put them? Do they carry multiples with them? How much have you thought about this question?
Villeneuve: Yes, this is something you ask yourself. Could they find anything in the worm’s digestive system? first part We are trying our best to avoid sandworms.exist the second part, you see the Fremen embracing the beasts and using them as a way to travel across the desert. I find it very poetic and I like it very much. But yes, that raises a question. I’m sure the Fremen have considered this as well. I’m sure there’s a way to recycle because it’s a culture about recycling. It’s a bit like being a person living in space. It’s such a hostile environment, but they’re very smart people. So there is a way to recycle these thumpers and get them back. We should ask a Fremen.
io9: Yeah, maybe excrement somewhere, right?
Villeneuve: I guess. [Laughs]
io9: As a book lover, I am I was overly excited about two scenes in particular: Paul’s appearance at the end of the film, and his first ride on a sandworm. Do these two scenes also remind you? I read a little bit in the news that you spent some extra time figuring out the sandworm stuff, but can you talk about your preparation for those scenes, both as a fan and as a filmmaker?
Villeneuve: It’s a responsibility when you bring Sand Rider to the screen. I wanted it to look authentic, edgy, dangerous, and cool. I wanted a motorcycle racing feel and I wanted it to look as real as possible. So first, I had to figure out how to deal with the worm myself. What approach should be taken? What an experienced Fremen would do. What would Paul do, because of course he was a little clumsy at first.So I have to figure that out and then figure out what I’m going to do with it [as a filmmaker]. I remember the first time I met with my team, I explained to them the Freeman Technology and then how we were going to make it a reality.a moment of silence [laughs] Because it’s a bit ambitious and takes a lot of time to do. It took weeks of development and weeks of filming to pull off this tiny sequence. This requires a lot of manpower. But I won’t go into details because I don’t like talking about magic. Better for the common people to enjoy. Once they see it, we talk about it.
io9: I was so impressed by everyone in this movie. The cast is incredible, especially Timothy. Like, if you take a picture of him in the last scene and compare it to the first scene, it’s just an incredible arc. He ended up being terrible. What was it like working with him to ensure every scene in the film tracked the performance?
Villeneuve: That’s my job as a director. To make sure that all the beats, especially the lead character’s beats, are conveyed through it, so it’s – I don’t know how to answer that correctly. My main job is to make sure each character completes their arc, and I pay attention to every detail.Especially for Timothée, he was really prepared for it because he knew what was coming next the second part.He was very excited about it because first part He is more of a victim of events. He is an old boy with no power, [has] Lost everything, lost in the desert.exist the second part He becomes a man and he wants to avenge his father. So it’s more of an action figure where we really get to see how charismatic and powerful Timothy is and what a Shakespearean actor he is. I like this. I kept him boiling. I let the blood boil until it’s ready to open. But it was a wonderful journey with Timothy.
io9: Awesome.Now, again, this is kind of silly, but I’m excited dune Finally Got a Lego Set – One of your movies finally got a Lego set. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, or if you’ve seen it, but I’d like to know if you’ve seen it and what your reaction was to it.
Villeneuve: I’ll tell you honestly. I probably made the movie because first of all I’m a die-hard Lego player. I come from the first generation where it was just bricks, right? I took those Legos to a lot of places. Spaceships, boats, whatever. When I found out that LEGO was making an ornithopter, I thought, “Wow, this blows my mind.” Then they sent me a message saying it was done and ready to go. I said, “What are you talking about? Aren’t you ready for Christmas?”
io9: Exactly!
Villeneuve: They said: “No, Mr. Villeneuve. You know, we have a strategy and we will be ready in 2024.” I was very disappointed because my children and I [love Lego] Then at Christmas I got a box and they sent me a prototype.
io9: Oh, wow.
Villeneuve: I would like to say that I had a lot of fun playing with ornithopters over Christmas. It’s amazing.
Still magical? Dune: Part 2, opening this weekend.Check out our interview Co-starring Dave Bautista and Stellan Skarsgård.
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