If you thought the cast of Denis Villeneuve take on Frank Herbert's science fiction saga Dune couldn't get more impressive, here comes Oscar Isaac riding a giant sandworm* to put the lie to that idea.
Isaac is in final talks to be Duke Leto Atreides, father to Paul (Timothée Chalamet). As the story starts, the Duke has finally wrangled control of the sought-after planet Arrakis, source of the drug known as Melange (aka "Spice"). It offers heightened consciousness and an extended lifespan, but at the cost of crippling addiction and fatal withdrawal, yet crucially is also what helps navigate the interstellar byways. So naturally, competition between the families for control is fierce, and the Atreides are rocked by conspiracy and a plot by the opposing Harkonens. Paul himself, meanwhile, has a destiny...
This is another solid casting choice for a film that already boasts Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista.
With a script by Villeneuve, Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, the film should be shooting this year. As for Isaac, he's got a busy promotional time ahead, having worked on Triple Frontier (hitting Netflix on 15 March), the new animated Addams Family film (out 25 October) and then something called Star Wars: Episode IX, which like Dune is also a space saga, and apparently filled with robots and stuff, headed our way on December 19.
*Unlikely to happen in the film, but it'll crop up in a loooot of fan fiction.
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