Dune director Denis Villeneuve and star Timothée Chalamet have revealed their first experiences with Frank Herbert's titular 1965 novel.
At the start of a release event for the movie's trailer, host Stephen Colbert recounted his first experience with Dune at age 19. Colbert then asked Villeneuve and Chalamet about their first encounter with the story. "Like you, I was the age of Paul Atreides. I was 15 years old. I was grabbed right at the beginning of the first pages, and I read the whole series, and I became a Dune fan. I became obsessed by it."
Chalamet's answer, however, was much less straightforward. "Well, I'd love to say I came to it in my youth as well," the 24-year-old actor said, "because I can see for you, Stephen, and also Denis, as well, and other people who have worked on this project how formative it was in their youth. But the truth is, I came to it following Denis' career and seeing the article on IndieWire, or whatever it was at the time, that he'd become attached to directed it."
In response, Colbert said, "Well, I have good news for you, Timothée: You still have an opportunity to encounter it in your youth."
You can read Warner Bros. plot synopsis for the film below:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of 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.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, Legendary Pictures' Dune stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, Dave Bautista Glossu Rabban, David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat, and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck. The film arrives in theaters Dec. 18.