Venice (AFP)

Will Hollywood get stuck in the sands of Arrakis?

The new version of "Dune", a big budget film by Denis Villeneuve, made the event Friday at the Venice Film Festival, with a high-level cast, from Timothée Chalamet to Oscar Isaac, including Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.

The red carpet, somewhat gloomy since the start of the pandemic, will finally regain all its brilliance, with this parade of stars who should make the trip to the Lido for the world premiere.

The film, postponed many times due to the Covid, is presented out of competition, and its director, the Canadian Denis Villeneuve, is expected at the turn, well beyond the lagoon: Dune, a series of novels by Frank Herbert, is a masterpiece of science fiction, of which no adaptation has so far really convinced.

Villeneuve ("Sicario", "First Contact") has already proven his ability to tackle sci-fi myths, with "Blade Runner 2049" (2017), a sequel to Ridley Scott's masterpiece, and for his " Dune, "he was able to spend a budget of $ 165 million.

The film, 37 years after the commercial failure of David Lynch's, represents a major challenge for Warner, who dreams of "Dune" becoming a new saga that will bring crowds back and forth in theaters, as has been possible. be Star Wars.

Beyond that, it is a test for the studios, which come out of the pandemic, coupled with the triumph of streaming and the breathlessness of the superhero model.

- Chalamet at the Fremen -

The film by Villeneuve, 53, a big fan of Frank Herbert, should faithfully take up the plot of the book, where tribes and potentates clash, millennia after our era, for control of the spice, a mixture that extends life and offers prophetic powers.

Franco-American actor Timotée Chalamet, July 13, 2021 in Cannes Valery HACHE AFP

It is harvested on a planet of burning sand, infested with formidable giant worms, called Arrakis, or Dune.

The film only covers the first part of the first novel, with the director hoping to be able to offer follow-up to the audience.

Paul Atréides, a young prince who will become the prophet of the Fremen, the people of Arrakis, is played by Timothée Chalamet, a 25-year-old Franco-American who has become essential in Hollywood since his revelation in "Call me by your name".

He takes up the torch carried by Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynch's "Dune".

Beside him, Oscar Isaac plays his father, Duke Leto, and Rebecca Ferguson is Dame Jessica, his mother.

The people of the Fremen have in their ranks the Spaniard Javier Bardem and the revelation of the series "Euphoria", Zendaya, a star with 106 million subscribers on Instagram likely to bring the younger generations to the cinema.

Briton Charlotte Rampling is playing the role of a Reverend Mother.

The release of the film (September 15 in France) has already been preceded by some turmoil: Denis Villeneuve is not angry against Warner's decision to also broadcast it online in certain countries.

"Watching + Dune + on television is like piloting a speedboat in your bathtub. For me, it's ridiculous", he again lambasted shortly before the opening of the Mostra in the American press.

© 2021 AFP