Dune film maestro recalls China influence

When Denis Villeneuve, the French-Canadian director best known for his epic sci-fi franchise Dune, visited Beijing earlier this month, he reminisced about his first trip to the country in 1990. Villeneuve, then 22, spent around a month in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, producing a small documentary. This experience offered him an immersive journey into Chinese culture, including tasting local delicacies such as spicy hotpot.

"I said to myself, 'I need to come back as soon as possible', and that was 34 years ago, which is very sad," the director recalls with a touch of nostalgia during a conversation with Guo Fan, director of The Wandering Earth, China's highest-grossing sci-fi franchise.

Villeneuve reveals that he has spoken with his wife, Tanya Lapointe — the producer of the Dune movies — about making a movie in China, which he believes is a means for him to realize the wish he made decades ago.

"I'm trying to make this happen. I don't know if it can be Part Three (of Dune), but if I could have the chance to spend time and work here (in China), it would really be a dream come true," he adds.

Having studied film at the University of Quebec in Montreal, Villeneuve also shares that one of his biggest cinematic revelations during his college years came from iconic Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai. Wong's 1990s movies, ranging from Happy Together to Fallen Angels and Chungking Express, had a massive influence on Villeneuve aesthetically.

Chinese culture's impact on Villeneuve can also be seen in his earlier directorial efforts like the 2016 scifi movie Arrival, in which the writing of the alien language — reminiscent of ink paintings — is inspired by Asian calligraphy and relatable Chinese elements.

Additionally, in the first Dune movie, actor Chang Chen, portraying Dr Wellington Yueh, a physician employed by the aristocratic Atreides family, speaks Chinese while secretly giving a warning to the protagonist, the young master of the family.

Chinese fans are responding with enthusiasm. Dune: Part Two has earned more than 310 million yuan ($43 million) at the box office since its opening across Chinese mainland theaters on March 8, making it one of the highest-grossing blockbusters in recent weeks.

Adapted from the eponymous novel by American author Frank Herbert, published in 1965, the new movie picks up from where it leaves off in the first Dune movie, which is also based on the same novel. Set in the far future when interstellar travel becomes a regular practice, Paul Atreides, the protagonist and sole heir of his aristocratic family, is torn between his desire for vengeance for the murder of his father, and the prospect that, with his surging reputation, leading an army against the emperor and his accomplices might result in a catastrophic war claiming many lives.

Both top-notch filmmakers in the genre of science fiction, Villeneuve and Guo exchanged their insights about the respective challenges of adapting best-selling novels into cinematic masterpieces.

For Guo, whose The Wandering Earth movies are based on the works of Asia's first Hugo Award-winning novelist Liu Cixin, the typical feature length of two or three hours possibly limits his ability to include all the high-profile scenes in his movies.

"When a novel is described in great detail, the more fans it attracts, the more difficult it becomes for filmmakers to adapt it, because you feel that every such aspect may be precious to the readers, and then you're reluctant to let anything go," Guo explains.

Villeneuve offers a fresh perspective, stating that he feels compelled to be a "traitor" in order to dismantle the original structure while striving to remain faithful to the novel's essence.

The Quebec-born director, whose famous sci-fi films also include Blade Runner 2049, shares that his passion for tales envisioning futuristic worlds stems from the freedom they provide in artistic creation, while addressing serious and challenging subjects.

"This is something that, if I were setting the story (of Dune: Part Two) in a contemporary world, could be offensive. I would have to choose real cultures carefully, and it might offend some people. However, by setting the story in a futuristic world, I am completely free to discuss what I want to talk about," he adds.

During the director's intense three-day tour in Beijing, he also visited the Forbidden City, meeting fans and holding a talk with director Chen Sicheng, known for the Detective Chinatown trilogy, which grossed 8.74 billion yuan.

Chen demonstrated his admiration by revealing that he has watched almost all of Villeneuve's movies, saying he is curious about what is most difficult for Villeneuve, given his high status in the film industry. Being one of the screenwriters of the two Dune movies, Villeneuve replied that the most challenging phase is still writing the script, especially considering the intense creation procedure for Part Two.

With its spectacular and otherworldly views bringing to life the fictional desert planet Arrakis, the new movie has proven highly popular among Chinese fans, garnering 8.3 points out of 10 on China's major review aggregator Douban.

The film's sandworms — depicted as colossal and formidable creatures capable of reaching lengths of up to 400 meters on Arrakis — have become one of the most heatedly debated topics, with some Chinese netizens jokingly describing Paul summoning the creature beneath the sand as akin to "hailing an Uber".

Director Guo also recalls that he had such an impression when watching the latest Dune movie, describing sandworms as resembling a high-speed train when they are summoned using a hammer-like device that generates rhythmic vibrations to attract their attention.

Perhaps appealing to local fans, Villeneuve revealed he plans to depict how characters riding the sandworms dismount from these colossal "vehicles" in the next installment of the trilogy.

He has also written a post in both English and Chinese on Douban, enthusiastically explaining to Chinese audiences that "if Part One was the appetizer, then Dune: Part Two is the main course", and expressing his eagerness to hear their thoughts.