It’s pretty much obligatory that I begin this post with some kind of Dune catchphrase, like “spice must flow,” or at least a reference to worms or something. But the truth is, it would just be an attempt to disguise my own ignorance of Dune.

I never read Dune. To be fair, I wasn’t in college in the ’60s. I wasn’t even born yet. Dune flew under my radar until the late ’90s, when I was knee-deep in Lord of the Rings. I gave it a shot, but the print was so tiny I just couldn’t bring myself to become enmeshed in Frank Herbert’s world. I feel bad about it, I really do.

But my Dune ignorance doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the most popular sci-fi series of all time, and that naturally parlays into a film adaptation 110% of the time. Dune had its fifteen minutes in 1984, when it was finally dragged out of development hell by director David Lynch. Lynch later distanced himself from the project, saying that he was denied creative control (some cuts of the film credit direction to Alan Smithee).

Dune performed poorly, both at the box office and with critics. So obviously it’s time to give it another shot - in today’s fantasy-friendly climate, it can’t help but succeed. Right? Peter Berg, director of Very Bad Things, The Rundown, and The Kingdom, has announced his plans to direct a “faithful” adaptation of the novel very soon.

Meantime, of course, you can always play Sci-Fi trivia on Kwanzoo. I’ll go catch up on my reading.

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