The companies responsible for bringing Frank Herbert's venerable science-fiction epic Dune to television promise that the series will not only "be a visual milestone" -- as was David Lynch's unevenly received 1984 cinematic version -- but will treat the text with the respect due a genre classic.
"Since first being published in 1965, Dune has deservedly gained its status as classic fantasy literature," German production company BetaFilm said in a statement issued when filming began in Prague last November.
"From the rich storyline, there are significant lessons to be learnt concerning politics, colonialism, class struggle, religious fanaticism and other raw elements of society. It is therefore a very modern story which can be applied to the world in which we find ourselves living today -- as well as acting as a warning for what may lie ahead."
BetaFilm is producing the six-hour miniseries for the Sci Fi Channel in cooperation with U.S. production house New Amsterdam Entertainment, previously known for its television versions of Stephen King's The Stand and Merlin.
First-class talent
To achieve this $20 million vision of the book, BetaFilm and New Amsterdam have assembled what they consider a "first-class creative team" of international repute.
Three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, The Last Emperor and Reds) will be the director of photography. Special effects will be supervised by Ernest Farino, who did the HBO/Tom Hanks miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon."
Theodor Pistek, who picked up an Oscar for his work on Amadeus, has joined the project as costume designer. Cesar-winning production designer Miljen Kreka Kljakovic (Indochine, Delicatessen) and Emmy-nominated special effects supervisor Ernest Farino round out the team.
John Harrison (Tales from the Darkside: the Movie) has written the script, which has been reviewed by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Harrison will also direct the three-part miniseries.
Academy-Award-winner William Hurt will play Duke Leto Atreides, while Italian screen icon Giancarlo Giannini (A Walk in the Clouds) -- the only other announced star who might be familiar to U.S. viewers -- will play Emperor Shaddam IV.
Other casting is still underway, although newcomer Alec Newman has already been tapped to play the key role of Paul Atreides. Also, Muriel Baumeister will play Princess Irulan, Uwe Ochsenknecht will play Stilgar, Ian McNeice will star as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Barbara Kodetova will take on the role of Chani.
Frank Herbert's Dune is scheduled to air in October.
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