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The impact of Frank Herbert’sDuneupon its release, which reshaped the sci-fi landscape, can’t be overstated. While it would take another two decades before the novel saw its own big-screen adaptation, directed by David Lynch, it did contribute to making George Lucas’Star Warsiconic.
While Star Wars is an amalgamation of many works, including Akira Kurosawa’sSeven Samuraiand Victor Fleming’sThe Wizard of Oz, it’s the influence ofDunethat stands out the most. But despite the similarities, Lynch was less than thrilled when asked to directReturn of the Jedi.
David Lynch Had No Interest in HelmingReturn of the Jedi
Before helming the firstDuneadaptation in 1984, which ended up becoming one of the biggest mishaps inDavid Lynch‘s career, the director was initially offered to take the wheel ofStar Wars. Following the departure of Irvin Kershner, who directedThe Empire Strikes Back,George Lucasbriefly considered the likes of Steven Spielberg, David Cronenberg, and Lynch for the job.
“I’m serious, this drives me nuts”: Original Dune Director David Lynch Does Not Like Listening to 1 Thing While He is Doing His Magic Behind the Camera
Even though Lynch wasn’t exactly a sci-fi buff, he found Herbert’sDunedifferent, as it had“believable characterizations and depth”. WhileStar Warsincorporated a lot of Dune’s traits, including a nearly inhabitable desert planet, Sandcrawlers, and the main protagonists being descendants of villains, he had zero interest in it.
But despite having no intentions of taking the director’s seat forReturn of the Jedi, theEraserheaeddirector did admire George Lucas. Hesaid:
I was asked by George to come up and see him and talk to him about directing what would be the third Star Wars. And I had next door to zero interest. But I always admired George. George is a guy who does what he loves. And I do what I love. The difference is, what George loves makes hundreds of billions of dollars. So I thought I should go up and at least visit with him. And it was incredible
Unfortunately, while Lucas’ROTJconcluded the original trilogy on a high note, the failure of Lynch’sDuneensured the IP was left untouched for the big screen until Denis Villeneuve arrived.
David Lynch Expected Studio Interference With HisDune
While stepping out of his comfort zone to helm a big-budget sci-fi flick initially intrigued theTwin Peakscreator, he soon realized it wasn’t the right call. Moreover, the filmmaker didn’t even have the last say on the film’s final cut, as Universal proceeded to cut down his initial three-hour cut. When asked if the movie would’ve been different had the studio upheld his original cut, theTwin Peakscreatorsaid, he was aware of signing away the final cut when he initially signed the contract.
I don’t even like talking about Dune really, but I’ve said before I knew when I was signing the contract that I was signing away final cut and from that moment I felt like, looking back, I started selling out
Although the directorentertainedthe idea of a director’s cut for hisDune, following Lynch’semphysema revelation, it seems a distant thought as of now.
Original Dune Director David Lynch Made an Unusual Blunder by Casting the Wrong Patrick Stewart in His Movie
Return of the Jediis available to stream on Disney Plus.
Dune(1984) is available to rent on Apple TV.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
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