Lynch’s Dune star Kyle MacLachlan comments on Villeneuve’s Dune

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

While at the Sundance Film Festival to support the film TESLA, in which he plays Thomas Edison (Ethan Hawke plays the title character, Nikola Tesla), Kyle MacLachlan sat down for a conversation with Kevin Smith, who is conducting interviews there for IMDb. If you've listened to a Smith podcast, there's a chance you've heard him discuss how much he loves David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel DUNE, and Lynch's film starred MacLachlan (making his screen acting debut) as the character Paul Atreides, so it's no surprise that the subject of DUNE came up while MacLachlan and Smith were talking. And of course, if you're talking DUNE this year you have to mention the fact that a new adaptation directed by Denis Villeneuve is scheduled for a theatrical releae on December 18th.

Scripted by Villeneuve, Eric Roth, and Jon Spaihts, this new version of DUNE stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, 

a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence – a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

So what does MacLachlan think about the fact that they've made DUNE again and Chalamet is taking over the role he once played? He told Smith, 

I'm very excited to see it. There will be a couple of us out there, running around. There's plenty of room, I think. Timothée, I think, will do a fantastic job, I’m looking forward to the vision he has. David Lynch is, of course, a very specific vision, so this will be something completely different, I’m sure. Why not have both stand on their own merits?"

The most reasonable response possible.

When Smith expressed his hopes that MacLachlan might get a call asking him to participate in the new DUNE, MacLachlan laughed and jokingly said, 

I'm still waiting."

MacLachlan isn't in the new film's cast, but Chalamet's co-stars do include Oscar Issac as Paul's father Duke Leto Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson as Paul's mother Lady Jessica, Stellan Skarsgård as the villainous Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Harkonnen's brutish nephew Glossu Rabban, Charlotte Rampling as the emperor's truthsayer Reverend Mother Mohiam, Javier Bardem as helpful tribe leader Stilgar, Josh Brolin as troubadour-swordsman Gurney Halleck, Jason Momoa as swordmaster Duncan Idaho, David Dastmalchian as the twisted Piter De Vries, Chang Chen as Atreides family physician Dr. Yueh, and Zendaya as Chani Kynes, "the girl of Paul's dreams". 

Villeneuve produced DUNE with Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Thomas Tull, and Kim Herbert executive producing. Kevin J. Anderson served as creative consultant.