After four years of trying and failing to make it happen, Paramount Pictures is backing away from the idea of remaking Dune for the big screen, according to Deadline. Producer Richard P. Rubinstein, who holds the rights to the Frank Herbert novel, says Paramounts option has expired and we couldnt reach an agreement
Im going to look at my options, and whether I wind up taking the script we developed in turnaround, or start over, Im not sure yet.
The news was foreshadowed back in January when director Pierre Morel stepped away from the project (he was just the latest director to abandon the movie). However Rubinstein now has the script Morel developed with Chase Palmer to take elsewhere with him.
Rubinstein also revealed he may try to get Pierre Morel and Chase Palmer attached again, in the hope that might make it easier to find a new studio home for Dune. On the other hand, if they can find a financier willing to put up the $100 million production budget, they may be moving forward without a studio.
To be honest though, after four years, perhaps they just need to accept what many fans have said – you simply can’t do Dune properly on the big screen, as it’s too complex and would cost way too much.