DUNE 7 BLOG

Saturday, May 13, 2006

The Dune Miniseries

Brian and I are often asked about the two six-hour miniseries "Dune" and "Children of Dune," which originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel. These two epics -- the first starring William Hurt and the second starring Susan Sarandon -- are two of the top three most-watched programs in the history of the Sci-Fi Channel. "Frank Herbert's Dune" won two Emmy Awards and "Children of Dune" was nominated for four Emmys. James MacAvoy, the actor who played Leto II in "Children," also recently impressed audiences as Tumnus the faun in the first Narnia film, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," and has just won the Orange Rising Star Award from the British Academy of Film and Television. Brian Tyler's soundtrack for "Children of Dune" is one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and I often play it (at great volume!) while I am writing or editing Dune projects.

I recently took the time to rewatch all twelve hours of these programs on the extended DVD sets. The production team at New Amsterdam Entertainment -- Richard Rubinstein and Mike Messina (as well as Emily Austin-Bruns, who keeps everything running smoothly) -- are wholehearted DUNE fans and have long supported both Frank Herbert's original Chronicles as well as all of the prequels; they have worked tirelessly to bring Dune back to the screen. John Harrison (scriptwriter and director on "Dune" and scriptwriter on "Children of Dune") is also a devoted and passionate reader of the novels and has done a remarkable job capturing the scope and flavor of the Dune universe.

During the production of the two miniseries, Brian and I were given the opportunity to read and comment on John Harrison's scripts, and New Amsterdam welcomed our input. (If you look closely, you can even see Brian's name on the credits for "Dune.") Many details are changed from the novels, of course, but we understand -- as did Frank Herbert -- that a book and a film are two different art forms, with different requirements, different strengths and approaches. (We have found some of Frank Herbert's own treatments and draft film scripts, showing how much he himself would have changed in reinterpreting his classic novel for a movie.) John's portrayal of DUNE, DUNE MESSIAH, and CHILDREN OF DUNE is enthusiastic and respectful.

Brian and I have met with Richard and Mike many times and have remained in close contact. Richard Rubinstein invited Brian and his wife Jan to the shooting set in Prague. John Harrison and I stay in touch and try to get together when I come to LA. New Amsterdam invited Brian and me, along with our wives, to the Hollywood Premiere of "Children of Dune," a fantastic evening where we met with many of the stars and production people. Brian and I each have a "Children of Dune" poster autographed by most of the cast and crew. Alec Neumann, the actor who played Paul, is himself a fervent Dune fan and enjoyed talking with Brian; meanwhile, I got to know Brian Tyler, who was filled with excitement for the Dune universe and expressed his genuine pleasure in doing the music; since that time he has sent me CDs of his new motion picture scores in exchange for new autographed novels, which I mail to him. After the premiere a group of us went out for a late dinner with PH Moriarty (Gurney Halleck).

The two miniseries have been very well received by the fans. Everybody has his or her own interpretation of Frank Herbert's novels, and no film or TV series can perfectly match what exists in our imaginations. However, these epic programs have garnered a lot of attention for DUNE and increased the audience, bringing many, many new readers to the original books.

--KJA