After years of rumor and anticipation, the television miniseries version of Frank Herbert's beloved Dune is set to start filming in only a few weeks.
As of October 1, production company New Amsterdam Entertainment was still optimistic that principal photography on the six-hour series would begin in Prague in November, 1999. However, beyond the selection of John Harrison as director, no casting or creative details have been released.
The miniseries is set to air in late 2001 on the Sci Fi Channel.
From zombies to Arrakis
Director-designate Harrison, who also wrote the script, is best known in the SF field for his work on a number of short-lived television series, including "Earth 2," "Kindred: The Embraced" and "Nightmare Cafe."
His early background was with independent horror filmmaker George Romero, with whom Harrison cut his directorial teeth as an assistant on "Creepshow" and "Day of the Dead."
Before "Dune," Harrison's only previous writing credit is for "Donor Unknown," a straight-to-video effort. In that film, a man in need of a heart transplant makes a deal with the devil, only to uncover that the underbelly of hospital politics is stuffed with ill-gotten organs.
Like Harrison, production company New Amsterdam has made its name more in the realm of in horror entertainment than in pure science fiction. When the company bought the rights to the Herbert novel and all sequels three years ago, the project was originally earmarked for ABC, which had run New Amsterdam's successful 1994 miniseries, "The Stand."
Richard P. Rubinstein, a regular name in New Amsterdam credits, will share the role of co-executive producer on the "Dune" project with Mitchell Galin. Both are long-time George Romero supporters, having played key roles in his output in the 1980s.
Of the two previous attempts to film the work, only one -- David Lynch's 1984 film -- ever reached the theaters. A French-financed
attempt, directed by Chilean cult visionary Alejandro Jodorowsky, died on the drawing board nearly a decade earlier.
Response to the Lynch film was lackluster in both critical and financial terms.
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