Once upon a time,Dunewas directed by acclaimedTwin Peaksfilmmaker David Lynch in 1984, and the result was one of the most infamous adaptations ever made. However, a much different timeline saw Ridley Scott, fresh off of the classic horror filmAlien, adapt the iconic Frank Herbert novel. Of course, Scott instead went on to direct the greatest noir thriller of all time,Blade Runner, but fans of theDunefranchise have since wondered what a film from him would be like. The wait is finally over, as the script for the scrapped 1980Duneadaptation has finally surfaced, and it sounds absolutely wild.
Written in 1980 by Rudy Wurlitzer, the 133-page draft ofDunehas been uncovered byT.D. Nguyen(viaIGN) after it was found in Coleman Luck archives at Wheaton College. Scott has only briefly touched upon the short-lived project over the years, and although he thought it was a good script, it was not perceived favorably by the book’s author nor the studio. And judging by the newly-uncovered details, it’s hard to say fans would have been over the moon about Scott’s version ofDune. For instance, the movie opens witha blond-haired, seven-year-old Paul Atreidesbeing tested by the Reverend Motherusing the pain box as seen in the Denis Villeneuve films. Audiences in 1980 would have then been treated to gruesome visions of his flesh peeling off, before eventually passing the test and then flash-forwarding to him as a 21-year-old.
There are other major changes from the novel and subsequent adaptations ofDunein Scott’s shelved version of the film. One of the biggest being Duncan Idaho, played by Jason Momoa in the 2021 film, replacingGurney Halleck’s role as mentor to Paul Atreides,who was portrayed by Josh Brolin in the modern adaptation. Meanwhile, certain aspects of the Scott-helmed project resembled Lynch’s film, like introducing the Guild Navigator, a “spice-mutated creature” absent in the latest movies. Thankfully, a non-canon incest storyline between Paul Atreides and his own mother is absent from the 1980 draft, although it was introduced in earlier versions of the script. There are plenty of more details for hardcoreDunefans to uncover inIGN’s detailed breakdownof the script, including bits of dialogue between the main characters.
Everything Happens for a Reason
While Ridley Scott’s version would certainly have been interesting, and vastly different from the source material, Denis Villeneuve did what was deemed impossible by adapting Frank Herbert’s iconic novels inDuneand its sequel,Dune: Part Two,without losing the essence of the storyline. Yes, Villeneuve also diverges from the original books in some key ways,including how Paul’s sister is portrayed on film. However, much of what is on-screen, especially in the firstDune, feels like the best interpretation of Herbert’s mind-boggling work we’ll ever get to see.
‘Dune: Part Two’ Wasn’t Snubbed in One Golden Globes Category – Because It Wasn’t Submitted at All
Despite being one of the highest-grossing films of 2024, ‘Dune: Part Two’ wasn’t nominated for the Golden Globe for box office achievement.
Everything turned out how it was supposed to be anyway, as Scott went on to directBlade Runnerand thenLegendin 1985, which starred Tom Cruise and Tim Curry. Sure, David Lynch still gets critiqued to this day about his infamousDunefilm, but even that divisive project has its fanbase. As Villeneuve begins toprep for the third installment of hisDunefranchise, it’s fun to look back and find out what could have been. However, it’s safe to say that the treasured source material is in good hands, and the legacy of Frank Herbert’s work has only grown since its original publication in 1965.
Dune: Part Two
