SciFi Wire caught up with Peter Berg at the unending Television Critics Association press tour, where he was pimping some ESPN documentary about the Canadian Christ*, and they asked him about his pending big screen adaptation of Dune. Bad news, fans: Berg wants to make it fun.
“To me, I think my interpretation will feel significantly different
from [the Lynch version] and the [Syfy] Channel miniseries that aired. I have a
different experience than both of those filmmakers did… [The book] was much
more muscular and adventurous, more violent and possibly even a little
bit more fun.”
I’m not sure which book Berg read; while I like the original Frank Herbert novel, it’s a pretty dense tome filled with political squabbling and maneuvering, served with a side dish of nearly hokey mysticism. I’ve read the original book a number of times and enjoyed it, but fun isn’t a word I would ever use to describe it.
The film could still be a ways off; there isn’t even a script yet. They’re still trying to find fun to put in there.
* Wayne Gretzky