While Denis Villeneuve didn’t find David Lynch’s “Dune” adaptation to be perfect, he knew that he was witnessing something interesting. In his chat with “Fresh Air,” Villeneuve gushed about his initial excitement for the film, discussing how he was the biggest “Dune” fan on the block. “I was very excited when I learned that the book would be brought to the screen,” the director said, adding, “I remember watching the movie and being very mesmerized and impressed by how David Lynch approached it.”
“Dune” was Lynch’s first foray into sci-fi blockbuster filmmaking — he had just come off of the Oscar-nominated “The Elephant Man,” which established him as one of Hollywood’s most interesting newcomers. And for what it’s worth, Villeneuve does have positive things to say about the “Twin Peaks” creator’s vision of Arrakis. “Yeah, David Lynch has a very strong identity as a filmmaker, of course, and it bled into the — it’s a fantastic interpretation of the book,” Villeneuve said, before noting that he was immediately curious to see another adaptation of the novel.
Years later, the filmmaker would get the illustrious job of directing the notoriously unadaptable book, which proved to be a challenge for Villeneuve.
