Christopher Nolan has hailed ‘Dune: Part Two’ as a “remarkable piece of work”.
The blockbuster - which is an adaptation of the second half of author Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi book of the same name - garnered plenty of critical praise when it released in March, and now Nolan, 54, has weighed in to the discussion, dubbing the movie as a “miraculous job of adaptation”.
Appearing at a recent DGA (Director's Guild of America) panel for ‘Dune: Part two’ alongside the film’s creator Denis Villeneuve, the ‘Oppenheimer’ filmmaker said: “Taking the second half and making an incredible conclusion to the story […] What a remarkable piece of work.”
‘The Dark Knight’ director compared Villeneuve’s second ‘Dune’ instalment to that of ‘Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back’, which he said was his “favourite” in George Lucas’ sci-fi franchise.
Nolan continued: “If, to me, ‘Dune’ was like ‘Star Wars’, then ‘Dune 2’ is ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, which is my favourite ‘Star Wars film’. I think it’s just a great expansion of all that was introduced in the first one.
“What I was really struck by is the sense of immersion in that world. It’s a film that has so many unique images, so many things you’ve never seen before in this movie, time after time, and I was so struck by the detail of everything.”
While Villeneuve is “in the writing zone right now” for his third ‘Dune’ movie - ‘Dune: Messiah’ - Nolan is currently working on his next film for Universe Pictures.
The as-of-yet untitled project is set to feature a star-studded cast, including Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Tom Holland and Zendaya.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, Variety previously reported descriptions or loglines of the movie published so far have been incorrect.
Despite the story of Nolan’s flick being shrouded in mystery, it was revealed that principal photography was due to comment next year, with Universal aiming for a July 2026 release date.
After it was announced Holland had signed on to the ‘Dunkirk’ director’s next project, the 28-year-old actor said he was “honoured” to get the chance to work with Nolan, and added it was the “phone call of a life time” when he was presented with the opportunity to take part in the forthcoming film.
During an appearance on ‘Good Morning America’, the ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ star said: “All I can say is that I’m incredibly excited.
“And obviously honoured, but that’s all I can say because, to be honest, that’s all I know.”
Asked if the ‘Tenet’ filmmaker was the type of director Holland would say yes to “sight unseen”, he replied: “100 per cent, without a shadow of a doubt.”
The ‘Uncharted’ star said the offer to appear in Nolan’s upcoming flick reminded him of signing on to play Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - in which he has appeared in six movies as the superhero.
Holland explained: “When the opportunity came in, it was the phone call of a lifetime.
“It was reminiscent of getting the call about ‘Spider-Man’ 10 years ago. It’s an amazing thing for me. I’m super proud and I’m really, really excited.”
