Villeneuve says he’s working on Dune’s script

Denis Villeneuve

Director Denis Villeneuve said on The 4 Quadrant podcast that he’s currently working on the script for a new version of Dune.

“It’s my turn to work on the pages right now,” Villeneuve said.

The director said he’s gotten pages from screenwriter Eric Roth and he’s examining them.

“It’s very exciting. I’m diving into that universe that I love so much,” Villeneuve said on the podcast. “It’s tough. Right now, I don’t know if the movie will be made….But I’m very positive. I’m very excited with” the pages Roth produced.

Villeneuve is a fan favorite to direct Bond 25, a project still without an announced director. Bond star Daniel Craig is “rooting for” Villeneuve to direct the film, the Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye said in September. Bamigboye has had a number of Bond-related scoops proven correct.

During the podcast, Villeneuve was asked about Bond 25.

“Daniel Craig is a very inspiring actor,” the director replied. “I had some contact. The thing is I’m busy right now doing Dune. To have the privledge to work with him would be a dream. I would love to work with Daniel.”

Villeneuve said working on a 007 film would be “a treat. It’s a matter of timing, I guess.”

Much of the podcast deals with Villeneuve’s most recent film, Blade Runner 2049. You can CLICK HERE to listen.

UPDATE (7 p.m. New York time): Brian Herbert, son of Dune author Frank Herbert, said on Twitter that Eric Roth delivered a first draft script.

We have the first draft of the DUNE screenplay from Eric Roth. I am working on it day and night, consulting closely with Kevin. We expect to send our comments to Legendary by this weekend. Lots of good stuff in the script, and things to be tweaked. I’m happy to be involved. pic.twitter.com/LL9zH7cXiN

— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) November 9, 2017