Despite its massive failure, the first attempt at adapting Frank Herbert’s Dune to the big screen made it possible for one of the most iconic science-fiction films to come out. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune promised to be one most ambitious and artistic sci-fi movies ever filmed. Jodorowsky, a director with a very powerful artistic vision, had gathered a dream team to make a ten-hour-long film. However, it was also one of the biggest failures in cinema history as it never got actually made. There are many stories around the film’s production and the people involved in it, but the one regarding the creation of another iconic script is certainly the best.
In 1974, French producer Michel Seydoux reached out to Alejandro Jodorowsky and asked him to direct an adaptation of the novel Dune. Driven by his extravagant and artistic personality, Jodorowsky’s vision was more than ambitious. Among other important people, Chris Foss and Jean Giraud were in the art department, Pink Floyd was in charge of the music, and Salvador Dalí and Orson Welles were part of the cast. Additionally, Dan O’Bannon, who had already co-written John Carpenter’s Dark Star, was the visual effects supervisor. Although the movie was canceled and turned out to be “The Greatest Film Never Made”, this gave Dan O’Bannon the opportunity to develop a different script.
I would’ve loved to see the end product of Jodorowsky’s Dune. It would definitely be insane, good or bad; and would’ve become a cult classic either way.
I am pleased the article is about Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune rather than David Lynch’s version (which I recommend with a few caveats regarding limitations, style and the times). That said, there’s a documentary with more detail called Jodorowsky’s Dune. See that. If you like that doc, try Lost in La Mancha, which is a Gilliam doc on failing to make a movie. For Jodorowsky, I’d suggest Sante Sangre. Maybe see El Topo, too (and first) if you don’t mind art cinema.
The Holy Mountain is a fun adventure too
he got Welles to commit by promising him his own chef and all the wine he could drink, or something like that… i think he also actually had Mick Fucking Jagger on board to play Feyd Rautha… and H.R. Giger doing set designs…
It’s a crazy story. Giger was doing set design with the caveat that he got to take home the furniture that was built from his designs.
Jodorowsky wanted to cast Salvador Dali but he wanted $100,000 an hour. So the plan was to shoot all the footage he could in one hour and use a robot look a like for the rest of the film.
Also, Jodorowsky wanted his own 12 year old son to play Paul Atreides and he spent two years training with various fight instructors for a role that never happened.
