Frank Herbert’s Dune is considered by many to be one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time, but the 1984 film based on the book? Eh, not so much. That’s why, out of the stream of reboots constantly coming out of Hollywood, I’m actually pretty excited about the prospect of the upcoming Dune reboot — especially since the production just picked up an amazing screenwriter.
Eric Roth, who won an Oscar for writing Forrest Gump and who also penned other standout films like Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Insider, and Ali, is set to pen the screenplay for the desert planet-set political epic, and if it goes well, the movie should have massive franchise potential (the Dune book series is notoriously long). Roth joins Arrival director Denis Villeneuve on the production, so as long as this movie receives a great cast, there definitely won’t be any shortage of talent involved. Arrival was one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade, and everything I’ve seen from Villeneuve’s upcoming Blade Runner sequel has me convinced that he can handle the pressure of adapting an iconic property like Dune.
The only thing that gives me a bit of trepidation about Roth’s hiring is his previous foray into sci-fi: 1997’s post-apocalyptic flop The Postman, which he co-wrote with Brian Helgeland. Still, that’s a small blemish on Roth’s otherwise fantastic résumé, and I’m confident that the Dune reboot will end up being something special — assuming they find a role for Sting, of course.
