Join us on The Path to Dune, IGN’s series of exclusive sneak peeks at director Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated, big screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi saga. The Path to Dune will spotlight not only the characters and worlds of the film but also the craftsmanship that went into the making of Dune. We kick off The Path to Dune with the exclusive character videos seen below profiling the members of House Atreides.
House Atreides is one of several major factions jockeying for power in Dune. (To draw a comparison to Game of Thrones, House Atreides is basically the House Stark of the Dune franchise.) Dune takes place thousands of years in the future, during a time when humanity has spread to other worlds in the galaxy. In this future, power is shared between a monarch known as the Padishah Emperor, the Space Guild, and a collection of feudal houses known as the Landsraad. In this era, advanced technology like computers and atomic weapons are strictly forbidden. A substance called Melange is a psychotropic spice that can enhance the mind and prolong life, with some users even gaining psychic abilities and the power to access the shared memories of their ancestors.
Much of Herbert’s Dune saga centers around a desert planet called Arrakis. Though remote and all but inhospitable (thanks to both its extremely dry climate and the presence of massive, roving sand worms), Arrakis is the only major source of Spice in the universe. Whichever house controls Arrakis stands to reap great wealth, but also faces constant danger from rival houses. There's a reason people in the Dune-verse have the saying, "He who controls the Spice, controls the universe."
One of those factions seeking to control the Spice is House Atreides. Let’s break down who the major players are among them, starting with ...
Timothee Chalamet plays Dune’s main protagonist and the heir of House Atreides. He will learn that a great man doesn’t seek to lead; he’s called to it. Arrakis’ native people, the Fremen, come to believe Paul is the savior they have anticipated for thousands of years. A reluctant hero, Paul’s epic journey sees him assume the Fremen name Muad'Dib and lead them in a massive uprising against the Galactic Padishah Empire.
House Atreides’ leader Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) is one of the few benevolent rulers in a galaxy where wealth and power are everything. House Atreides, which hails from the planet Caladan, has been granted control of Arrakis by the Padishah Emperor, displacing their generations-old rivals, House Harkonnen. Even as Leto struggles to protect his family from harm, his son Paul comes to realize that a grand destiny awaits him on Arrakis.
Rebecca Ferguson portrays Duke Leto’s royal consort and the mother of Paul Atreides. Lady Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, an all-female religious order that serves as one of the greatest political forces in the galaxy. Through a combination of mental conditioning and Spice consumption, the members of the order have honed their minds and gained superhuman abilities. Their leader, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, is obsessed with using selective breeding to produce an all-powerful Bene Gesserit superhuman called the Kwisatz Haderach. She sent Lady Jessica to be Duke Leto's concubine and produce that daughter, but instead, Jessica bore him a son, Paul. After surviving an attack by the Harkonnens, Lady Jessica and Paul find themselves in the deserts of Arrakis among the Fremen.
Played by Jason Momoa, this Swordmaster of Ginaz is one of Paul’s mentors and protectors, a loyal member of House Atreides. Duncan’s good-natured ribbing of Paul speaks not only to his big brother-type relationship with him but also to the fact that Paul is still just a boy who will one day become a ruler -- if he can survive until then.
Josh Brolin portrays Duke Leto’s gruff chief officer. Along with Duncan Idaho, Gurney is one of Paul’s tough-love mentors and a staunchly loyal member of House Atreides. A warrior and poet-musician, Gurney instructs Paul in the military arts, including the use of energy shields and daggers. While a shield offers much protection, a dagger -- if wielded precisely enough -- can penetrate it. Gurney schools Paul in this deadly skill in order to combat their mortal enemies, the Harkonnens.
The long-serving family physician and a trusted member of the Atreides’ inner circle, Dr. Yueh is a far more complicated character than he may initially seem. And while the likes of Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho offer the Atreides physical might, Dr. Yueh possesses a different sort of strength. He utilizes pressure point manipulation on his patients, which allows him to sense illness, detect injuries and even comprehend their psychological state just by touching them. Dune marks the first English-language feature film for actor Chang Chen, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Red Cliff.
The second installment of The Path to Dune drops next Thursday, August 19th with character vignettes highlighting the Fremen. And then on Thursday, August 26th, we will profile House Harkonnen with more exclusive videos.
From that point, you can continue with IGN on The Path to Dune for more exclusive first looks every other Thursday until the film’s release in the US on October 22 and in the UK and Australia on October 21.
Continue reading...
House Atreides is one of several major factions jockeying for power in Dune. (To draw a comparison to Game of Thrones, House Atreides is basically the House Stark of the Dune franchise.) Dune takes place thousands of years in the future, during a time when humanity has spread to other worlds in the galaxy. In this future, power is shared between a monarch known as the Padishah Emperor, the Space Guild, and a collection of feudal houses known as the Landsraad. In this era, advanced technology like computers and atomic weapons are strictly forbidden. A substance called Melange is a psychotropic spice that can enhance the mind and prolong life, with some users even gaining psychic abilities and the power to access the shared memories of their ancestors.
Much of Herbert’s Dune saga centers around a desert planet called Arrakis. Though remote and all but inhospitable (thanks to both its extremely dry climate and the presence of massive, roving sand worms), Arrakis is the only major source of Spice in the universe. Whichever house controls Arrakis stands to reap great wealth, but also faces constant danger from rival houses. There's a reason people in the Dune-verse have the saying, "He who controls the Spice, controls the universe."
One of those factions seeking to control the Spice is House Atreides. Let’s break down who the major players are among them, starting with ...
Paul Atreides
Timothee Chalamet plays Dune’s main protagonist and the heir of House Atreides. He will learn that a great man doesn’t seek to lead; he’s called to it. Arrakis’ native people, the Fremen, come to believe Paul is the savior they have anticipated for thousands of years. A reluctant hero, Paul’s epic journey sees him assume the Fremen name Muad'Dib and lead them in a massive uprising against the Galactic Padishah Empire.
Duke Leto
House Atreides’ leader Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) is one of the few benevolent rulers in a galaxy where wealth and power are everything. House Atreides, which hails from the planet Caladan, has been granted control of Arrakis by the Padishah Emperor, displacing their generations-old rivals, House Harkonnen. Even as Leto struggles to protect his family from harm, his son Paul comes to realize that a grand destiny awaits him on Arrakis.
Lady Jessica
Rebecca Ferguson portrays Duke Leto’s royal consort and the mother of Paul Atreides. Lady Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, an all-female religious order that serves as one of the greatest political forces in the galaxy. Through a combination of mental conditioning and Spice consumption, the members of the order have honed their minds and gained superhuman abilities. Their leader, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, is obsessed with using selective breeding to produce an all-powerful Bene Gesserit superhuman called the Kwisatz Haderach. She sent Lady Jessica to be Duke Leto's concubine and produce that daughter, but instead, Jessica bore him a son, Paul. After surviving an attack by the Harkonnens, Lady Jessica and Paul find themselves in the deserts of Arrakis among the Fremen.
Duncan Idaho
Played by Jason Momoa, this Swordmaster of Ginaz is one of Paul’s mentors and protectors, a loyal member of House Atreides. Duncan’s good-natured ribbing of Paul speaks not only to his big brother-type relationship with him but also to the fact that Paul is still just a boy who will one day become a ruler -- if he can survive until then.
Gurney Halleck
Josh Brolin portrays Duke Leto’s gruff chief officer. Along with Duncan Idaho, Gurney is one of Paul’s tough-love mentors and a staunchly loyal member of House Atreides. A warrior and poet-musician, Gurney instructs Paul in the military arts, including the use of energy shields and daggers. While a shield offers much protection, a dagger -- if wielded precisely enough -- can penetrate it. Gurney schools Paul in this deadly skill in order to combat their mortal enemies, the Harkonnens.
Dr. Wellington Yueh
The long-serving family physician and a trusted member of the Atreides’ inner circle, Dr. Yueh is a far more complicated character than he may initially seem. And while the likes of Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho offer the Atreides physical might, Dr. Yueh possesses a different sort of strength. He utilizes pressure point manipulation on his patients, which allows him to sense illness, detect injuries and even comprehend their psychological state just by touching them. Dune marks the first English-language feature film for actor Chang Chen, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Red Cliff.
The second installment of The Path to Dune drops next Thursday, August 19th with character vignettes highlighting the Fremen. And then on Thursday, August 26th, we will profile House Harkonnen with more exclusive videos.
From that point, you can continue with IGN on The Path to Dune for more exclusive first looks every other Thursday until the film’s release in the US on October 22 and in the UK and Australia on October 21.
Continue reading...