While Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have started to peel back the curtain on Denis Villeneuve’s hotly-anticipated sci-fi epic Dune, we’re yet to catch any kind of glimpse of one key element from Frank Herbert’s seminal book series – that of the enormous sandworms inhabiting the desert planet of Arrakis.
Given how synonymous the sandworms are with the property, director Villeneuve has revealed to Empire Magazine (via SlashFilm) that he and his design team spent some twelve months perfecting the look of the monstrous creatures:
“We talked about every little detail that would make such a beast possible, from the texture of the skin, to the way the mouth opens, to the system to eat its food in the sand,” said Villeneuve. “It was a year of work to design and to find the perfect shape that looked prehistoric enough.”
SEE ALSO: Dune director Denis Villeneuve talks Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides
Hopefully we won’t have too long to wait before we get a first look at footage from Dune, and perhaps a peek at its deadly sandworms…
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.
Dune is directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) and sees Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) leading the cast alongside Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Dave Bautista (Avengers: Infinity War), Stellan Skarsgard (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), Charlotte Rampling (Red Sparrow), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Javier Bardem (Loving Pablo), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Sex Education), and Chang Chen (The Assassin).