Top 10 Dune Facts You Might Not Know

We can't wait to see Denis Villeneuve's take on this iconic work of fiction. For this list, we’ll be going over the lesser known facts about “Dune” – the movies, the books, and everything in between. Our countdown includes Trailer Parallels, An Abandoned Adaptation with Big Names, Unanswered Questions Are Intentional, and more! If there’s any “Dune” fact whose absence you think is a “mind-killer,” let your fears pass over you and tell us about it in the comments.

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#Film
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[WatchMojo]

If there’s any “Dune” fact whose absence you think is a “mind-killer, ” let your fears pass over you and tell us about it in the comments.

[ericthompson]

Loved the Lynch film. I watched it almost every weekend when I was a kid. Still love it. That said, this new version is a damned masterpiece.

[gregrogers]

Yes, Star Wars was influenced by Dune, and both Star Wars and Dune were influenced by Edgar Rice Burrough's "Princes of Mars" book written in 1912, the first of his Barsoom series. Bits and pieces, it's fun to see how other writers interpret the material.

[mskimyu]

Cinematography and VFX, AND THE ACTING, have really progressed tremendously throughout the very short years. AMAZING.

[mlggamer]

I didn't realize how much of an influence Dune had on Star Wars. Fascinating

[martineldritch]

Arrakis is Arabic for "The Dancer" and is the name of the star Mu Draconis, the mouth or tongue of the great wyrm in the northern sky. Algeidi is the horn of the goat in the southern sky, Alpha Capricornus or "Geidi Prime".

[matteomariucci]

spoiler from italy where it came to theatre on september: it's awesome, the most beatiful and brutla blockbuster of all time, a vintage colossal made with the modern tecnologies

[mr.moviemafia]

5:03 “Dune fans would’ve surely loved it”
Weeeell, that’s a hard statement to back because Jodorowsky was planning on making WAY too many changes and it would’ve basically been it’s own story more than it would’ve been “Dune”

[NovaSupernova]

I've been playing Dune for 20 years. Has to be some kind of record. I beat Atrades, Harkonen and Ordos at least 50 times each. I can't stop playing.

[cpscdave]

Patrick Stewart will always be Gurney in my heart

[TeamRemForever]

"Sandworms are the equivalents of dragons." That made my day!

[KidFresh]

Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune is a modern sci-fi masterpiece: 10/10. But I also love Lynch’s Dune: the music & costuming have aged particularly well. For a real treat, check out the 3 hour “Spice Runner” fan edit of Lynch’s Dune, available for free on YouTube. The extra hour allows for more coherent exposition & world building.

[mikedudeyo]

Another fun fact that might be interesting to some, Dune II by Westwood Studios was the genre defining game for the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre of video games. It is widely considered to be an important part of video game history .

[charleysonnydickinsonvuori]

You missed the fact there’s a song about the book and film. To Tame A Land by Iron Maiden. It was supposed to be called Dune but the Author didn’t like heavy metal so the band changed the name and recorded it anyway. It’s on their 4th album Piece of Mind.

[mlamarana]

WB played this movie dirty! This is a masterpiece to be seen in the big screen. Still great story and worth seeing

[nigelhickman]

Me - with my expectations for Dune 2021...“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

[krisgonynor]

Frank Herbert's "Dune Encyclopedia" answers most of the unanswered questions from the books and movies. It is a must read for any Dune fan, if you can find a copy. It goes into the science, the background of all the major groups and characters, the background of the Empire, why computers were forbidden, and even taboo topics about Baron H's sex life. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down until I finished it - it is as long as the three first books combined and an actual encyclopedia - not a story at all.

[banas]

Regarding the original publisher, CHilton: Herbert joked with his editor that they’d retitle it “How To Repair Your Ornithopter”.

[DominickRuocco]

I finally watched Dune 1984 this weekend and I'm ready to see the new Dune in IMAX next Friday. It looks like a masterpiece 🔥

[Amber_xo_]

This film sports a distinctly Arabic theme, in keeping with author Frank Herbert having used Islamic culture as an influence for his story.

Composer Hans Zimmer is a big fan of the novel Dune, and turned down working with frequent collaborator Christopher Nolan on Tenet (2020) to score this film. For the same reason, Denis Villeneuve was the top choice but turned down the offer to direct the Bond film No Time to Die (2021).


In Dune (1984), all the Harkonnen were depicted as red-haired. In this movie they are all depicted as bald.

Rebecca Ferguson plays the mother of Timothée Chalamet despite being only 12 years older than him.

Actor Timothée Chalamet was 23 when he played Paul Atreides, two years younger than Kyle MacLachlan when he played the same role in Dune (1984). In the novel, Paul was 15 years old.

Denis Villeneuve has revisited Dune (1984) and continued Blade Runner (1982). Sean Young played the main character's love interest in both films back in the 80s.

The film's clothing is based on Dune (1984): the Harkonnen soldiers wear bulky green armor, the Atreides workers wear black uniforms with high collars and kepi caps, and the Sardaukar wear full pressure suits (while in the book they wore regular military uniforms and helmets).

David Dastmalchian's third movie with director Denis Villeneuve, following Prisoners (2013) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

The cast features one Oscar winner (Javier Bardem) and three Oscar nominees (Josh Brolin, Timothée Chalamet, and Charlotte Rampling).