I’m harboring a deep and fundamental prejudice against Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune. I’ll see it, of course, and I’m naturally hoping it’ll be better than David Lynch‘s 1984 version, but as God is my witness I’m fearing the worst.

A part of me would actually prefer to avoid the Villeneuve altogether, which of course is not a real-world option on the table. Warner Bros. will open Dune on 11.20.20.

Last July screenwriter Brian Herbert said that a recent draft of the screenplay covered “approximately half” of Frank Herbert‘s novel, so it’ll probably wind up being a two-parter. Budapest filming will begin in the spring or early summer.

The following Villeneuve statement fills me with dread: “Most of the main ideas of Star Wars are coming from Dune so it’s going to be a challenge to [tackle] this. The ambition is to do the Star Wars movie I never saw. In a way, it’s Star Wars for adults.”

Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa…later.

If Dune turns out to be extra-formidable I’ll be able to recognize and proclaim that, but the honest truth is that I can’t wait to bring the hate.