Dune 1984 Star Kyle MacLachlan Excited For Denis Villeneuve’s Reboot

[Nergal]

 

Original Dune actor Kyle MacLachlan is excited to see Denis Villeneuve's new version. Published in 1965, Frank Herbert’s Dune went on to become considered a classic of visionary sci-fi, and in 1984 was adapted into a film by acclaimed director David Lynch.

Of course, Lynch’s take on Dune would famously fail to scare up the Star Wars-sized audience that was expected, and is now considered one of the biggest bombs of all time (though of course the movie does have a cult following). Undeterred by Lynch’s failure with Dune, Blade Runner 2049 director Villeneuve has taken his own crack at Herbert’s classic, with an all-star cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya and Charlotte Rampling. Very little material has thus far been released to tease Villeneuve’s Dune, but it has been revealed that a trailer is finally set to arrive on the internet on September 9, 2020.

It remains to be seen if Villeneuve’s Dune will succeed where Lynch’s failed, but one person who’s looking forward to seeing what the new adaptation has in store is MacLachlan, who played the lead role of Paul Atreides in the 1984 film. When asked by Collider how he feels about seeing Dune adapted again decades after his own experience on the original, MacLachlan said:
 

 

It's interesting to note that MacLachlan in previous remarks said he thought the Dune remake should have been a TV series instead of a film. His new remarks definitely seem more supportive, particularly as regards Chalamet, which makes sense as MacLachlan certainly understands what the younger actor is going through in tackling the role of Paul Atreides, a character who has to do a lot of the lifting in Herbert's narrative. MacLachlan of course was a complete unknown in movies when Lynch tapped him to play Atreides in the 1984 film, and starring in Dune may not have actually helped the actor’s career that much (though his association with Lynch would later bear plenty of fruit, as MacLachlan ultimately starred in Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks for the director). Chalamet on the other hand comes to Dune as a well-known star already, with an Oscar nomination to his credit, a very different set of circumstances than MacLachlan faced on the original film.

It’s in fact interesting to see MacLachlan putting his support so firmly behind Chalamet and Villeneuve and saying he intends to see the new Dune when it comes out, after Lynch himself said he has no interest in the new movie. Famously, Lynch had a disastrous experience on Dune, and has expressed his regret over the fact that he didn’t have final cut on the movie. Whatever pain MacLachlan may have experienced while making Dune doesn’t seem to have lingered for him the way it has for Lynch, and he seemingly is just a big fan of Herbert’s book, so unlike the still regretful Lynch, he’s ready to line up for his ticket when Dune is released. Indeed, MacLachlan is not alone in being deeply curious about what Villeneuve has done to solve the puzzle of adapting Dune, after Lynch so infamously whiffed with his version.

Dune (2020)
Release Date: Dec 18, 2020