One of the most talked-about films of 2021 is the epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune, with the excellent director Denis Villeneuve at the helm. The Dune adaptations have a long and mostly unsuccessful history. Back in the mid-1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky was going to make an ambitious film adaptation that would exceed even the wildest expectations, with a potential to become one of the greatest achievements of the film industry.
But, alas, Jodorowsky’s “Dune” collapsed under the unbearable weight of its components, and production did not really have time to start. Other than that and the god-awful SyFy mini-series, the most famous film adaptation of the fantastic saga was the 1984 film — Dune (surprised?) by David Lynch.
Since we still have time before the release (September 3), let’s look closer at the actors from the 84’s version and compare them with the modern cast.
1. Paul Atreides
In 1984, Paul Atreides was played by Kyle MacLachlan, while in the remake, we’ll be greeted by the handsome Timothée Chalamet.
2. Duke Leto Atreides
Jürgen Prochnow played Duke Leto Atreides in the old one and the 2021 version he will be portrayed by the one and only — Oscar Isaac.
3. Lady Jessica Atreides
The 1984 Lady Jessica was played by Francesca Annis. Now compare her to her modern iteration by Rebecca Ferguson. Which one looks better?
4. Chani
The young Chani will be played by Zendaya, who we all know from the Spider-Man movies. Her 1984 version was portrayed by Sean Young.
5. Reverend Mother Mohiam
Siân Phillips was outstanding as Reverend Mother Mohiam, and Charlotte Rampling will have to be on her A-game to even stand a chance.
6. Thufir Hawat
Freddie Jones’s Thufir Hawat was not very impressive, mainly because how is this guy in charge of security? Hopefully, Stephen McKinley Henderson will do something else with this character.
7. Gurney Halleck
Good old Sir Patrick Stewart was cast in the 84′ Dune, while in the modern we’re getting Thanos himself — Josh Brolin.
8. Duncan Idaho
I never thought we’d see Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, but here we are. And in the Old corner, we have Richard Jordan, who was also pretty good.
9. Dr. Wellington Yueh
Almost 40 years ago Dr. Yueh was played by Dean Stockwell, and the new and improved doc will be portrayed by Chen Chang.
10. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Baron Vladimir Harkonen is not the most taxing role, to be honest, so it will be interesting to see what Stellan Skarsgård will do with this character. Kenneth McMillan played him in the 1984 movie.
11. Glossu ‘The Beast’ Rabban
Played by Paul L. Smith in the 84′ version, Glossu was a minor character at best. So, since Dave Bautista will be playing him now, does that mean we’ll get a funny version of the Beast?
12. Stilgar
Everett McGill as Stilgar was nice and all, but you can’t really beat Javier Bardem.
13. Piter De Vries
Not many people remember there even was a guy named Piter in the ’84 movie, who was played by Brad Dourif. But I bet you $5 we won’t forget David Dastmalchian’s performance.
