![]() He was presenting Arrival at the Venice Film Festival when a journalist asked him what movie he would make if someone were to write him a blank cheque-and by now his answer should be obvious. RELATED: How Canada’s Denis Villeneuve and Ryan Gosling infused their DNA into Blade Runner 2049 In 2017, Blade Runner 2049 was another example of the human-centred, emotionally honest approach to science fiction that has become Villeneuve’s signature. After making films with stars like Jake Gyllenhaal and Emily Blunt, he entered the big leagues with Arrival, a sci-fi thriller starring Amy Adams that earned multiple Oscar nominations, nevermind $200 million at the box office. His 2010 follow up, Incendies, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film, and soon Villeneuve was getting scripts from Hollywood studios. In 2009 he made Polytechnique, a dark, black-and-white drama about the Montreal massacre that got a lot of attention in Canada. After film school at the Université de Québec à Montréal, he appeared as a contestant on a reality show for aspiring directors. ![]() Villeneuve’s entire career has been a road to Arrakis. (Many artists say their whole life has been leading up to a certain project, but few can produce 40-year-old storyboards.)Ī post shared by DUNE explains his vision behind Dune In the early ’80s, one such fan was a 13-year-old from small-town Bécancour, Quebec, a place where the career goal of a “filmmaker” was akin to “space cowboy.” Even so, Villeneuve’s parents encouraged him to follow his passions, including mapping out what a film version of his favourite book might look like. The novel has frequently been declared unadaptable due to its byzantine plot lines, as well as the expectations of hardcore Herbert fans, who make Trekkies look nonchalant. The odyssey of Villeneuve’s Dune is almost as protracted and theatrical as Frank Herbert’s book-the epic saga of a young man’s quest to save his home planet. He’s not the only big name director to pledge his allegiance to the cinematic experience, but with his unique ability to meld mass appeal and uncompromising artistry, he’s the guy with the best chance of saving it. Above all, though, he objected as a filmmaker who still believes that there is something magical, even transcendent, about a group of strangers sitting together in a dark room. MORE: See who made the 2023 Maclean’s Power ListĪnd so the 55-year-old director did what any uncompromising, overprotective but also fundamentally Canadian artist would do: he wrote a strongly worded letter, calling out Warner for aligning itself with the interests of a telecom giant (the studio’s parent company is AT&T) and bemoaning his movie’s diminished box office potential. It was a way to grow the new streaming service while appeasing COVID-wary audiences-but to Villeneuve, it was an unacceptable affront. Dune: Part One arrived in October of 2021 as part of “Project Popcorn,” an experiment by WarnerMedia in which the studio released all of its features simultaneously on HBO Max. Then along came a pandemic to do just that. The movie’s sweeping landscapes and colossal creatures are such that shrinking the size of the canvas would be like taking a battle-axe to Villeneuve’s giant-sandworm-sized ambition. ![]() READ: The Power List: Hollywood North top 10ĭune is Denis Villeneuve’s love letter to the big screen. (Photograph by Pat Martin) Hollywood North Stars No.1: Denis Villeneuve
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