Children of Dune (2003– )

The twins of Paul "Muad'dib" Atreides become embroiled in the political landscape of Arrakis ("Dune") and the rest of the universe.

Stars:

Alec Newman, Julie Cox, Ian McNeice

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Alec Newman	...	Muad'Dib (3 episodes, 2003)
Julie Cox	...	Irulan Corrino-Atreides (3 episodes, 2003)
Ian McNeice	...	Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (3 episodes, 2003)
Steven Berkoff	...	Stilgar (3 episodes, 2003)
Daniela Amavia	...	Alia Atreides (3 episodes, 2003)
James McAvoy	...	Leto Atreides II (3 episodes, 2003)
Susan Sarandon	...	Princess Wensicia Corrino (3 episodes, 2003)
Edward Atterton	...	Duncan Idaho (3 episodes, 2003)
P.H. Moriarty	...	Guerney Halleck (3 episodes, 2003)
Jessica Brooks	...	Ghanima Atreides (2 episodes, 2003)
Rik Young	...	Javid (2 episodes, 2003)
Jonathan Bruun	...	Farad'n Corrino (2 episodes, 2003)
Karel Dobrý	...	Korba (2 episodes, 2003)

Storyline

The twins of Paul "Muad'dib" Atreides become embroiled in the political landscape of Arrakis ("Dune") and the rest of the universe.

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Plot Keywords:

dune | sequel | steampunk | messiah | desert world | 

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Taglines:

The saga of Dune is far from over...

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

16 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blixa Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG, Hallmark Entertainment, New Amsterdam Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

266 min 235 min (3 parts) 182 min (2004) (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brian Tyler's music for this mini-series is used regularly in movie trailers, e.g. The Golden Compass, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

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Goofs

Stilgar supposedly slashes Mohiam's throat, but not only does he clearly not touch her at all, his knife is positioned closer to her chest.

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Quotes

Wensicia: You insolent bastard!
Farad'n Corrino: Let's not discuss your weaknesses now, mother.

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Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

User Reviews

One of the Best Sci-Fi Series

I admit being a big fan of the 'Dune' books. I consider them being a masterpiece, not only of the science-fiction genre, but of the world literature as a whole. Yes, nothing less. I am a books lover, and I have read very few books reaching this level of complexity and with such a philosophical depth when reflecting what the faith of mankind will be in the future. Reflections on democracy and dictatorship, ecological balance, holy wars, genetics, love, you find them all melted at high artistic temperature.

Having revealed this, any film inspired by 'Dune' must reach a high stake for me to like it. A great director as David Lynch already tried his forces, with good (but not perfect) results. The current series, inspired by the second and third books in the series are very faithful to the original. Certainly the books are that powerful, so people who did not read them may find some details obscure, or some conflict details un-explained. Well, my only advice - go and read the books! You will not regret.

'Dune' is golden material for mini-series, but also puts some serious technical challenges. The team who realized 'Children of Dune' met them well for most of the time. Some of the effects look Disney-like, and this is the only big minus I found in this film. Otherwise, a very good cast does a wonderful job in re-creating Herbert's world of characters. The action has logic, and each of the third parts is well driven from a tension point of view.

I hope that more is coming. If they approach the fourth book, that one has even more challenges, as Frank Herbert's fantasy got even wilder, in what I think was one of the best books in the series. In any case, 'Children of Dune' is memorable, and gets a 9/10 on my personal scale.