Dune it again

As I warned a couple months ago, Peter Berg will, in fact, direct the second film adaptation of Dune (David Lynch did the first back in ’84) for Paramount.

The original 1965 novel centers on a remote desert planet called Arakis, which is the sole provider of the universally loved spice fuel Melange. A power struggle ensues over who will control the spice. Berg follows David Lynch, who directed the 1984 original. The property was also turned into a 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries that starred William Hurt. [MovieWeb]

Peter Berg most recently directed The Kingdom, which was compared to trying to watch a movie with a vibrator stuck on your forehead. I might actually avoid that for the rest of my life.

Meanwhile, the only version of Dune I need is this one...

oh, it's kinda' NSFW.

Bug Movie 3

Johnny Rico is Back!
With a storyline closer to the original Heinlein book, and this time including the marauder suits - the large exoskeletal suits worn by foot soldiers. Director Ed Neumeier (who has written scripts for each film in the franchise, including this one, as well as RoboCop), confirmed an all-star crew of special effects and editing technicians with credits like Terminator 2, 300 and Mission Impossible.

In attendance of the WonderCon in San Francisco to promote the summer release, was Jolene Blalock (of Star Trek: Enterprise fame) and Casper Van Dien, the only cast member from the first movie appearing in the latest sequel (Van Dien wasn't in the low-budget, under-the-radar 2004 sequel Starship Trooper 2).

Van Dien, who upon entering the room was immediately swarmed by fans eager for autographs, was visibly charged by the enthusiastic reception, pumping his fists enthusiastically and shouting out catchphrases from the film... sorry I missed that part.

The 1997 movie Starship Troopers was a military satire, and clips from the new film showed more of the same -- heavy-hitting action shots intercut with cartoony army propaganda segments and lengthy shots of oversized, CGI bugs. The trailer is due on the web Feb. 25, and we'll post it as soon as it's released.

Would you like to learn more?

Been there, Dune that.

Peter Berg to Direct (yet another) ‘Dune.’ (link to the original press release)

Ladies and gentlemen, the next (what?) huge sci-fi franchise has a director. During an interview with “The Kingdom” director Peter Berg, he confirmed the rumor that “Dune” is coming and that he’s the one that will helm it. Calling the plans for him to direct “a done deal,” Berg told me that “if it weren’t for the writer’s strike, we’d be in it right now.” (chalk one victory up for the writer's strike then!)

Berg says that while there’s no script yet, they have a list of writers they plan to go out to once the strike settles. The helmer called himself “a huge fan of the book” and when asked about the scale of the film, he simply replied, “big big big.”

As any fan of the Frank Herbert classic knows, “Dune” received the big screen treatment once before in a divisive David Lynch film. Berg said that while he’s “a big fan of Lynch,” he believes “that interpretation has left the door wide open for a remake.” (and as there's no mention of the Sci-fi Channel's version that not only remade Dune, but also Dune Messiah combined with Children of Dune - guess you're not THAT big of a fan, huh, Peter?)

No word on casting - I can imagine Tom Cruise...

Meanwhile, Berg also confirmed that even before “Dune,” he’s likely to direct Tom Cruise in his next film. Berg called the script about a CIA agent on the run after being accused of being a spy “great” and “a great role for Tom.” (Because we've NEVER seen this movie before - it's totally original!)

Berg described the story as an “action thriller” and that “the audience is trying to figure out whether this character is good or bad. He’s claiming one thing and we’re not sure up until the very end.” (So it's complicated, and original, and it's Tom running! Yep, never seen that before! Kablam!)

When asked if he’s met with Cruise himself yet, Berg said “we’ve been talking.” (ah, no, that means you're leaving messages on his voice mail - this is called 'not signed'...)