Original Dune 1984 Paul Actor Responds To Dune 2 Release

Summary Excited for Dune 2, Kyle MacLachlan praises Denis Villeneuve for keeping the franchise alive after 40 years.

MacLachlan eagerly anticipates the continuation of the story and how it will be handled.

The actor's love for the book Dune makes him happy to see the story revisited on screen.

Original Dune 1984 Paul Atreides actor Kyle MacLachlan responds to the release of Dune 2. Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel is complete now that Dune: Part Two has hit theaters. Exceeding all reasonable expectations, the second half of Villeneuve’s two-parter has crossed the $600 million mark worldwide, keeping the Dune franchise alive 40 years after MacLachlan played Paul in 1984’s David Lynch-directed, box office flop version.

Forty years may have indeed elapsed since MacLachlan played the original Paul Atreides, but the actor remains an avid Dune booster, as he exclusively revealed to Screen Rant, responding to the release of Dune: Part Two. Check out his remarks below:

I haven't seen it yet. I'm looking forward to it, the continuation of the story and to see kind of how they handle it. Yeah, I love the book Dune so much. So any opportunity to see that story revisited makes me happy.

Lynch's Dune Surpasses Villeneuve's In Memorable Weirdness

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Dune 1984 may have been a huge box office and critical flop in its day, but the film is now considered a cult classic, thanks in large part to the involvement of legendary pop-surrealist Lynch. If there's one way Lynch's version of Dune surpasses Villeneuve's, it's in embracing the weirder aspects of Herbert's original novels. Villeneuve indeed talked recently about why he shied away from the fantasy-like elements of the Dune books in favor of a grounded approach to Herbert's universe (via the Director's Cut podcast):

“I tried my best to be away from fantasy, meaning that I tried in that context to try to be as plausible [as possible]. You can almost explain everything, apart from the fact that his super powerful reaction to that substance that is the spice… I love the idea that Paul is not a messianic figure, really. It’s just that the context and the other people perceive him, and all the power they put on him, he doesn’t have any magic power, apart from being uber-sensitive to that substance. Spice is almost like LSD or something like that.”

Villeneuve's fantasy-averse Dune strategy led him to avoid depicting the books' bizarre Guild Navigators, super-evolved beings who live their lives in chambers filled with spice gas. He also stayed away from showing Paul's sister Alia, a toddler who possesses all the powers of a Bene Gesserit reverend mother, compressing the story's timeline and keeping that tricky character as an unborn fetus who communicates telepathically with her mother, Jessica.

Villeneuve's practical-minded sensibilities led him to make the Dune he made, but the surrealist Lynch had a different agenda. Rather than veer away from Dune's weirdness, Lynch leaned into it, giving audiences memorable realizations of the Guild Navigators, Alia and more book elements Villeneuve didn't have the stomach for. Villeneuve's Dune may be more successful as epic storytelling, but Lynch's Dune has the newer versions beaten when it comes to pure sci-fi strangeness.

Dune 3 Will Finally Adapt Paul Atreides’ Full Journey

Lynch and MacLachlan only had one movie to tell the story of Paul Atreides and his rise to become the messianic leader of the Fremen. Because Dune 1984 was a box office flop, the door was slammed shut on their adapting Dune Messiah, the Herbert novel that truly completes Paul’s journey.

Thanks to Dune: Part Two’s unexpectedly large box office haul, Villeneuve will likely have the chance to outdo Lynch and extend the Dune franchise for at least one more film. The filmmaker indeed confirms that he is working on an adaptation of Dune Messiah, though he doesn’t intend for the third Dune to be his next film. Dune Messiah, it must be noted, has yet to be officially greenlit.

Dune 1984 is available to watch on Max.

It’s yet to be seen how long it will take for Dune: Part Three to reach screens, but the fact that it’s in the works is great news for MacLachlan and other fans of the books. Dune 1984 may have fallen short of capturing the full story of Paul and his epic adventures, but patience will seemingly pay off for those who love the world Herbert created, as the third pivotal chapter in Paul’s story makes its way to theaters, with Dune 2 mastermind Villeneuve getting the chance to complete Herbert’s original vision.