The burning elephant in the room question that is on everyone's mind but nobody has been brave enough to say it out loud yet is:

When will the new Telltale Games Dune game based upon it be coming out?

There, I said it. Because I'm like that - fearless and inquisitive at the same time.

I started thinking about a potential cast. The Lynch version cast is nearly perfect for me, like I said, and the new one could hardly be better, but it's always fun to speculate

Duke Leto- Russell Crowe
Gurney Halleck- Hugh Jackman
Duncan Idaho- I was first thinking of Daniel Craig, but they'd probably need someone younger, with the sequels in mind, so maybe Chris Pine?
Thufir Hawat- Ian McKellen
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen- Vincent D'Onofrio
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen- Christian Bale
Piter De Vries- Robin Lord Taylor
Stilgar- Manu Bennet

I really don't know about the most important one, Paul. No one comes to mind, and they have to find someone young with hell of acting chops to pull it off.

It has nothing to do with the genre (there's plenty of superb fantasy novels easily equaling or even surpassing Dune), and I already pretty much answered that just a couple posts above. Including outright pointing out that I never said it was shit. Come on.

But back on point.

What is special about Dune?

It explores many themes like religion, messianism, hero worship and free will in a universe that has a very peculiar "feel" to it, a blend of sci-fi and mysticism and is full of original ideas (that you have since surely seen replicated in other works many times over). It's one of the cornserstones of sci-fi, having heavily influenced later works like Star Wars and Babylon 5 among others.

And in cinema it has it's own peculiar history, ever since the failed attempt at first adaptation by Alejandor Jodorovsky, which has become something of a legend among film buffs, and despite never coming to fruition has in it's own right had a tremendous impact on sci-fi cinema (I can't recommend that documentary enough, it is probably the best Dune movie we'll ever see, despite being only a history of the actual Dune movie never happened).

Well, learn something new every day -- I had no idea David Lynch directed the old Dune films. Never really associated him with the Sci-Fi genre.

Wasn't also Denis Villeneuve the director of the Blade Runner sequel?

How I hate this hollywood trend of derailing a great directorial career -all of his previous movies are interesting- for popamole remakes and sequels. I rather have someone like him doing adaptations of less known novels or working in new ideas. But it's hollywood we're talking abou there. The land of money and remakes.

His next movie will probably be a Marvels (or DC or some other superheroe franchise). The other sink hole of promising directors.

This comment can also be extrapolated to videogames.

Well, in this case I think it hardly applies- he spoke some time ago of making Dune being his dream project.

Anyway, it's kinda how it has to go, you agree to make something the studio wants and will make big money on to later get from them the money to make a project you want- Nolan's Batman movies gave him the position to make things like Inception and Interstellar and now Dunkirk, Ben Affleck took the Batman role to make Live By Night, Kenneth Branagh did Thor and Cinderella to now make Murder on the Orient Express (okay, a remake, but apparently one that is his idea).

Westwoods Dune RTS' are set in a "alternate" universe compared to the dune books, though some characters and concepts bleed through.

Read it. Seriously, if you like sci-fi, this one is pretty much a must read title.

Dune was very influential for me as I read it when pretty young, around 10 i think. I held all other sci fi books to its level after that. It was the first book I read where the women were extremely and unapologetically powerful, at time hideous. Melted my young mind. I read it just after LoTR and just shocked me with its adult tone. I spent many childhood hours trying to train my muscles and chanting 'fear is the mindeater...' lol nerd alert.

the other books while entertaining seemed to progressively become more about preaching and constant lecturing till they drown out the plotlines. still not many authors come up with such a long term and in depth view of their fictional worlds, Ian Banks, Tolkien come to mind

I would love it if they gave peter jackson the time and money to do it justice, there is no way you can tell the story with one movie

... and I STILL can't move just my pinky toe! ;)

It's very, very dense. The paperback is THICK, and the print is small. But surprisingly, it's a quick read IF you fall in love with it, because you won't want to put it down. It's richly and intricately detailed to such a degree that it is incredibly dense, but it works here because the characters are so well fleshed out that the density adds rather than subtracts. But if you don't find yourself connecting with the characters you aren't going to want to slog through to the end.

I recommend getting it at your local library or purchasing a used copy online, and give it a go. You'll know fairly quickly whether or not you like it, and if you don't, take it back or gift it to someone. It's a masterpiece but it definitely isn't for everyone.

Mind-KILLER. Fear is he mind-killer. Fake nerd alert*.

*just kidding! Easy there, put down the crysknife!

I think the God Emperor of Dune might actually be my favourite, there is just something about it I love, the way it tackles it's almost ridiculously high concept, but I do get what you mean. You're not wrong, I just liked it anyway.

There was a time I would have agreed, but after the Hobbit fiasco, I shudder to think what he'd make out of Dune.

Personally I would go with Kenneth Branagh. I hink his shakespearian experience would serve him very well here. There is something shakespearian to Dune for me, it's hightened language, the sense of doom hanging over Paul.