Why Dune Director Denis Villeneuve Wants To Adapt Dune: Messiah

Villeneuve isn’t wrong. “Dune Messiah” is in some ways a rebuttal of the hero’s journey of Paul from the first book, a story that shows the futility of believing in chosen ones and the violence Paul has started. We already have seen the seeds of this in Villeneuve’s “Dune.” The first movie has Paul angrily shout at his mother for giving him the ability to look into the future, and for carving out his rise to power. He sees visions of a future wherein he commands large armies, and all he can focus on is the death and destruction he causes. He is not a freedom fighter or an agent of revenge, he is a pawn in a grand plan he is unable to escape. The trailers for “Part 2” have expanded on this idea, with Paul horrified over the future he is creating, knowing the pain he is causing

As for Villeneuve’s comment that the next books get esoteric, he has a point but he is also wrong to stop before the story gets weird. It is the sequels that truly show how special Herbert was at not just writing sci-fi stories that reflected our world, but at pulp fiction with bizarre and cool ideas, like men who turn into giant sandworms, clones of familiar characters, and much more. What I’m saying is, we need “God Emperor of Dune” and for James McAvoy to return to the role of Leto II.