Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg told Denis Villeneuve: “You did it Dunes: Part Two – one of the best science fiction movies I have ever seen. That's high praise from the maker ET: Extra Terrestrial, Jurassic Park , Saving Private Ryan...
Steven Spielberg (left) interviews Denis Villeneuve
Steven Spielberg added: “It is an honor for me to sit here and talk to you. Let me start by saying that there are filmmakers who build worlds. It's not a long list and I know who they are, including Georges Méliès, Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Wes Anderson, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro... I truly believe that you are one of the newest members of that list.”
Denis Villeneuve seemed stunned to receive such praise from one of the greatest directors of all time. Steven Spielberg calls the scene in Dunes: Part Two where Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) rides a sandworm is remarkable.
Spielberg commented: “… You film the desert to visualize the ocean, the sea. Sandworms resemble sea snakes. And the sight of the sandworm gliding across it is one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen. You have made the desert look like the sea.”
Star Timothée Chalamet portrays Paul Atreides in the film
Before, Variety reported that it took Denis Villeneuve 44 days to film the sandworm riding scene. The film crew built a sandworm 27 meters long and 7 meters wide. Cinematographer Greig Fraser recalls reading the script and thinking: “How the hell are we going to do that?”
“In the book, Paul rides a sandworm and if we weren't careful, it could have been a weird concept,” Fraser said.
Dunes: Part Two proved to be a blockbuster for Warner Bros., highly appreciated by critics and audiences. The film reached nearly $240 million at the North American box office and surpassed $570 million worldwide. The movie is still being shown in theaters.
