Rumor is that Denis Villeneuve will remake _Dune_. It is unclear why
this is necessary; the two sci-fi channel miniseries, covering the first
three books, are already serviceable. The big advantage of miniseries
is that its length affords the flexibility of adapting not just _Dune_,
but _Dune Messiah_, the Shakespearean-tragedy-like sequel that makes
the first book 10 times better.

I've always thought that the first three _Dune_ books would work well
as stage plays. Most of the keys scenes, including the several duels,
are intimate in scale. Frank Herbert did not put much effort into the
large scale battle scenes; even the final battle, after the shield wall
is breached, is disposed of in one paragraph. ("And it was man to man
on the plain of Arrakeen while a picked Sardaukar bodyguard pressed
the emperor back into the ship, sealed the door on him, and prepared
to die at the door as part of his shield.")

The _Dune_ book that really needs a big screen treatment is _God
Emperor of Dune_, featuring a 3500-year-old, 35 meter long man-worm
hybrid and tyrant. Coincidentally, it is also the most brilliant
book of the series, turning upside down everything that has come
before. (Leto's armies are all made of women, while the once-fierce
Fremens have turned into whimpering museum keepers.) The next book
_Heretics of Dune_ has amazing action sequences too, but one wonders
if it isn't better suited as a porno! (The sex scenes are surely
more than strictly necessary.)

Anyway, since a remake is coming, one may as well help cast the
film. In another forum, someone exhorted the filmmakers to ignore
diversity and current events and "just tell the story." It was
a shockingly ignorant statement, of course. _Dune_ was nothing
if not strongly inspired by poltical events of its days (the
Arab-Israeli conflicts, with the prescience-giving "Spice" clearly
a stand in for crude oil). The desert setting and the names of
Dune locales and of native Fremens are also clearly influenced
by Near East cultures. If anything, the ecology-consicousness and
the religious fanaticism in _Dune_ are more relevant today than when
it came out. The Atreides are explicitly said to be modelled
after the ancient Greeks, not blond Aryans. How can "diversity"
not be a factor?

Lady Jessica: Jessica Chastain. By far the best character in the
sci-fi series is the Atreides concubine played by
a wonderful Saskia Reeves. To match or surpass this,
we clearly need our best actress.
(Note that I am ignoring the David Lynch travesty,
which traumatized me for years and has been
wiped clean from my memory.)

Paul Atreides: Louis Garrel, to give Villeneuve a French/Meditterrenean
flavor

Chani: Hafsia Herzi, to give the Fremen a decidedly Semitic touch.
Herzi is brilliant and charismatic in _The Secret of the Grain_.
She should be better known in the U.S.

Stilgar: Roschdy Zem (see above)

Duncan Idaho: Idris Elba. Duncan dies early in _Dune_, but his gholas
(replicants) play a key part in the sequels

Gurney Halleck: Alex Descas. Like Idaho, the Atreides weapon master
Halleck escaped from Harkonnen slave pits.

Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam: Marie-Josee Croze, born for the role

Thufir Hawat: Jean-Louie Trintignant: the unlikely turncoat needs a serious
actor to play him

Emperor Shaddom IV: Chow Yun-Fat. Good to evoke the Asian imperial legacies

Princess Irulan: Freida Pinto, so gracious in _Knight of Cups_

Baron Vladimir Hakonnen: the best person to play the treacherous, repulsive
arch-villain is no longer available. But perhaps
Alec Baldwin, who regularly impersonates that ex-
reality TV host, would be a good substitute.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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