Duneremake cinematographer Greg Fraser had to forget about hisStar Warsfranchise work when collaborating with Denis Villeneuve. Fraser is in high demand these days and previously worked onThe MandalorianandRogue Onebefore joining forces with Villeneuve. The director caused a bit of a controversy a few years ago when he stated that he wanted hisDuneremake to be likeStar Wars, “but for adults.” Some fans did not enjoy hearing those remarks from Villeneuve, even though he is a fan of the franchise.
When it comes down to it, Denis Villeneuve wanted something completely new for theDuneremake in terms of visuals. Coming from aStar Warsbackground for Greg Fraser had to have been tricky since George Lucas was undoubtedly influenced by Frank Herbert’s source material when he craftedA New Hope. However, Fraser says it wasn’t too difficult. He explains.
“It was quite fun because I had to forget a lot ofStar Warswhen I was makingDune. It wasn’t hard, though. Denis and I spoke clearly about how the film should look and should feel, and the formats and this and that, so it was not hard to swerve and change lanes. There were some similarities like the deserts. I mean listen, ultimately I’m positiveGeorge Lucas was inspired by Dunewhen he madeStar Wars. I don’t know if that’s sacrilegious to talk about, but there are a lot of similarities in some areas, so you could tell he was definitely influenced by that. So I had to be careful doing both [DuneandThe Mandalorian] and not to repeat myself. Also not just for the sake of the movie, but for fun. I hate to do the same thing twice.”
We have yet to see any footage from Denis Villeneuve’sDune, though we have seen a number of official images. The movie is all set to hit theaters at the end of the year andFrank Herbert fansare starting to get a little antsy, especially since rumors have been swirling about the movie being amazing from inside sources who have seen unfinished cuts. Greg Fraser also teased what the experience will be like when the movie opens. He had this to say.
“It’s a fully formed story in itself with places to go. It’s a fully standalone epic film that people will get a lot out of when they see it… It was quite an adventure visually. It was a beautiful experience making it. The people involved with it, I was overwhelmed. Some of the actors, as well as being insanely talented actors, are just lovely, lovely people who I’ve become very close to since then.”
With the firstDuneinstallment in the post-production process, it’s only a matter of time before production starts ramping up on the sequel. While the entertainment industry has been put on hold for the past three months, it looks like things are going to get back to some form of normal in the coming weeks. James Cameron is already back to work in New Zealand onAvatar 2and Matt Reeves will be able to start up work onThe Batmanshortly.
With so much excitement in the air aboutDune, one has to wonder when the studio will give us the first footage. Obviously,Denis Villeneuvewants to have people experience his labor of love on the big screen, which means that the first trailer could come attached to Christopher Nolan’sTenetnext month. While we wait to finds out, you can check out the rest of the interview with Greg Fraser over atCollider.
