Nolan and Spielberg praise Villeneuve's "Dune" sequel masterpiece
As many as five of his films have been nominated for an Oscar. At home, he has two statues for the film "Oppenheimer," and now we know which film has just impressed him.
1:43 PM EST, November 29, 2024
Christopher Nolan recently moderated a conversation with director Denis Villeneuve after a screening of "Dune: Part Two" and expressed his admiration for the sequel, calling it a "miraculous job of adaptation." The director of "Oppenheimer" has joined filmmakers like Steven Spielberg in praising "Dune: Part Two" as one of Warner Bros.'s main Oscar contenders this season.
"I watched the second half and I think it’s a miraculous job of adaptation, of taking that second half and making an incredible conclusion of the story," Nolan said. "I have a lot of questions about how you did that, starting with: Usul, Muad’Dib, Paul, Lisan al Gaib. How many fucking names can you give one character and expect us to keep up with it?" he added with humor.
Nolan continued, emphasizing that most adaptations involve condensing and simplifying. "My feeling in watching both films, in particular the second film, is that this was an act of exploring a little further and burrowing into the complications and embracing those and the world building beyond even what’s in the book," he explained.
Greats praise Villeneuve's "Dune"
During his own Q&A session with Villeneuve at the Directors Guild of America in March, shortly after the theatrical release of "Dune: Part Two," Spielberg called the sequel "one of the most brilliant science-fiction films I’ve ever seen."
"Let me start by saying there are filmmakers who are the builders of worlds," Spielberg told Villeneuve. "It’s not a long list and we know who a lot of them are. Starting with [Georges] Méliès and Disney and Kubrick, George Lucas. Ray Harryhausen I include in that list. Fellini built his own worlds. Tim Burton. Obviously Wes Anderson, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro. The list goes on but it’s not that long of a list, and I deeply, fervently believe that you are one of its newest members…And that scene surfing the sandworms is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever!"
"Dune" to get an Oscar the second time around?
Villeneuve is being promoted as the best director after the Oscars unjustly overlooked him for his work on the first "Dune." Cast member Josh Brolin recently told "Variety" that he will not be happy if the Academy overlooks Villeneuve again.
"If he doesn’t get nominated this year, I’ll quit acting," Brolin said. "It was a better movie than the first one. When I watched it, it felt like my brain was broken open. It’s masterful, and Denis is one of our master filmmakers. If the Academy Awards have any meaning whatsoever, they’ll recognize him."
