Denis Villeneuve Was Free To Put "Personal Stamp" On 'Dune,' Stellan Skarsgard Promises

Denis Villeneuve's Dune cast can't stop heaping tons of praise on the director. The latest actor to put in his two cents about the acclaimed filmmaker is Stellan Skarsgard, who promised that Villeneuve is being given almost complete creative freedom on the film by Legendary and Warner Bros., and also took the chance to tease some (vague) details.

In an interview with Collider while at the Toronto premiere for his new film Hope, Skarsgard gushed about working with the Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director and assured that the auteur has been given "pretty free" reign over the film by the studio:

"I've always wanted to work with him partly because he's such a wonderful man, but also because he's a brilliant director. It's fun when you get one of those big sci-fi movies and you know it's going to be directed by a true filmmaker. It's not going to be directed by the studio. It seemed like they were giving him pretty free hands. And you have to, because his personal stamp on the film is paramount for the success of it."

That's encouraging to hear, especially since Villeneuve is one of the few big-budget auteurs working right now. Despite the box office disappointment of Blade Runner 2049, it seems Warner Bros. has a lot of faith in Villeneuve's vision, even handing him the reins for upcoming Dune TV series spin-off, for which Villeuneve will direct the pilot. Warner Bros. is looking to Dune as its next potential franchise, and if Villeneuve is able to translate Frank Herbert's ridiculously dense novel about a political coup on a desert planet whose entire economy revolves around a magical drug, then they could very well succeed. On that front, Skarsgard only has more good things to say, teasing Villeneuve's vision for the Dune film.

"What he's really good at is creating this strange atmosphere with his imagery and this cinematic poetry that is his trademark and that will add so much richness to the pretty simple story," Skarsgard said.

Skargsard's praise is supported by Javier Bardem's recent comments on Dune, in which he told Variety that Villeneuve's adaptation is "a scientific masterpiece." He added, "We went to Jordan to shoot in the desert, and I thought, 'Sh–. This is not far from being real.' Hopefully that's a powerful issue this movie can raise."

Dune is currently filming, with a stacked cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Stephen Henderson, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.Dune hits theaters on November 20, 2020.

A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, "Dune" tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.