MOVIE NEWS – After years of refusing to talk about the subject, David Lynch says he wants to make a director’s cut of the 1984 film Dune, which he himself denied making.

David Lynch says he wants to remake the original version of Dune. As the second film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 epoch-making science fiction novel, director Denis Villeneuve has made what many consider to be the definitive adaptation of Dune. Released in theatres and on HBO Max last fall, the film was a smash hit with critics and audiences alike, and Warner Bros quickly greenlighted the sequel. The Dune also excelled at the 2022 Oscars, taking home six trophies, the most of any film this year.

Long before Villeneuve’s version, the entertainingly enigmatic director David Lynch first brought Dune to the big screen in 1984.

His version was much less successful, failing badly at the box office (grossing just $30 million on a $40 million budget) and being panned by critics. Shortly after its release, David Lynch disowned the Dune film, revealing that he did not have complete artistic control or final cut approval, which allowed the studio, Universal and the producers to make changes that he had not approved. Despite this, 1984 Dune had gained a considerable cult following, especially recently when Villeneuve’s adaptation encouraged audiences to revisit David Lynch’s film of the same source material.

In a new interview with the A.V. Club, where he discussed the reimagining of his 2006 film Inland Empire, Lynch expressed interest in remaking Dune.

The director admits he was “depressed and sick” by the final cut, which was a “terrible sadness and failure” for him.

If given the opportunity, Lynch says he would be interested in remaking Dune through a director’s cut or other re-cut, although he admits “it’s not going to happen”. That’s precisely what he said:

“Dune – people have said, ‘Don’t you want to go back and fiddle with Dune?’ And I was so depressed and sickened by it, you know? I want to say, I loved everybody that I worked with; they were so fantastic. I loved all the actors; I loved the crew; I loved working in Mexico; I loved everything except that I didn’t have final cut. And I even loved Dino [De Laurentiis], who wouldn’t give me what I wanted [laughs]. And Raffaella, the producer, who was his daughter—I loved her. But the thing was a horrible sadness and failure to me, and if I could go back in I’ve thought, well, maybe I would on that one go back in.”

These latest comments mark a stark change of tone for the filmmaker, who in the past has steadfastly refused to remake the 1984 film and even turned down an offer from Universal when approached about a possible director’s cut. Lynch refused to entertain the idea, which has always been his biggest obstacle. Now that seems to have been dropped, a director’s cut is certainly possible, even if Lynch doubts it.

The success of the #ReleasetheSnyderCut campaign proved that fans have a massive influence on studio decisions. Couple this with the recent success of Villeneuve’s adaptation, and it could be enough to start a movement to allow Lynch to make the director’s cut of Dune. It’s likely that this already exists in some form, as the planned theatrical cut was almost 3 hours long before the studio cut it down to the usual 2 hours and added additional scenes. David Lynch just needs to put the finishing touches on the original cut before it can be released.

Source: A.V. Club