David Lynch Wants To Rework His Original Version Of Dune

David Lynch says he wants to rework his original version of Dune. As the second cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel from 1965, director Denis Villeneuve has produced what many consider to be the definitive version of Dune. The film was released in theaters and on HBO Max last fall and was a resounding success with both critics and audiences alike, and the sequel was quickly greenlit by Warner Bros. Dune also cleaned up at the 2022 Academy Awards, taking home six trophies, the most of any film that year.

Long before Villeneuve's version, the entertainingly enigmatic director David Lynch was the first to bring Dune to the big screen in 1984. His version was much less successful, as it bombed at the box office (grossing just $30 million against a $40 million budget) and was panned by critics. Shortly after its release, Lynch disowned the Dune movie, revealing he did not have full artistic control or final cut approval, which allowed the studio, Universal, and producers to make changes that he did approve of. In spite of that, 1984's Dune has garnered a significant cult following, especially recently as Villeneuve's adaptation has inspired audiences to revisit Lynch's take on the same source material.

Related: Every Dune Book Ranked Worst To Best 

In a new interview with The A.V. Club discussing the remastering of his 2006 film Inland Empire, Lynch expressed interest in reworking Dune. The director admits to being "depressed and sickened" by the final cut, which was a "horrible sadness and failure" for him. If presented with the opportunity, Lynch says he would be interested in revisiting Dune via a director's cut or other re-edit, though he did admit, "it’s not going to happen." Read what he had to say below:

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 recent comments are a stark change in tone for the filmmaker who, in the past, has remained steadfast in his refusal to revisit the 1984 film and even rebuffed Universal when they approached him about a possible director's cut. Lynch's unwillingness to entertain the notion was always its biggest obstacle standing in its way. Now that has been seemingly knocked down, a director's cut is certainly possible, even though Lynch doubts it is.

The success of the #ReleasetheSnyderCut campaign proved that fans wield immense influence over a studio's decisions. Couple that with the recent success of Villeneuve's adaptation, and that could be enough to ignite a movement to allow Lynch to create a director's cut of Dune. It likely already exists in some capacity, as his intended theatrical cut ran for almost 3 hours before the studio whittled it down to the standard 2 hours and added additional scenes. All Lynch would need to do is put some finishing touches on his original cut before it can be released.

Next: Dune 2021 Shows Why David Lynch's Original Was Always Doomed

Source: The A.V. Club

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