"Children of Dune" (2003) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Greg Yaitanes

Writers (WGA):

Frank Herbert (books)
John Harrison (teleplay)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Born to rule an empire. Destined to tear it apart.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Dune | Sequel | Steampunk | Messiah | Desert World

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 7 nominations

Cast

Alec Newman	...	Muad'Dib / ... (1 episode, 2003)
Edward Atterton	...	Duncan Idaho (1 episode, 2003)
Ian McNeice	...	Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (1 episode, 2003)
Steven Berkoff	...	Stilgar (1 episode, 2003)
P.H. Moriarty	...	Gurney Halleck (1 episode, 2003)
James McAvoy	...	Leto Atreides II (1 episode, 2003)
Rik Young	...	Javid (1 episode, 2003)
Martin McDougall	...	Scytale (1 episode, 2003)

Also Known As:

"Dune - Bedrohung des Imperiums" (Germany) (second part title)
"Dune - Der Messias" (Germany) (first part title)
"Dune - Die Kinder des Wüstenplaneten" (Germany) (third part title)
"Dune - Krieg um den Wüstenplaneten" (Germany) (cut version)
"Frank Herbert's Children of Dune" (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

Czech Republic:235 min (3 parts) | Germany:182 min (2004) (cut version) | USA:266 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Germany:12 | UK:12 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Blixa Film Produktion GmbH & Co. KG

Trivia:

According to interviews, Alice Krige was John Harrison's first choice to play Jessica in "Dune" (2000), but was unavailable. However, Saskia Reeves had to back out of this series because of pregnancy, so Krige was re-offered the part.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of Part 2 (The Children), when we first see Leto, his eyes are completely normal. But when the camera turns back to him, his eyes have the bright blue tint from the spice.

Quotes:

Leto: I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear, I will let it pass through me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Better acting that first miniseries, but such a dense story!

A blizzard and 32 inches of snow is the perfect setting to watch a mini-series that has been taped for later viewing. As a long-time Dune book series fan and an owner of the DVD of the Lynch movie and the first Sc-Fi miniseries, I eagerly awaited Children of Dune.

The good: Excellent musical score (hopefully available on amazon.com); better acting in general, especially Alice Krige as Lady Jessica and the young actor who played Leto, son of Paul; better special effects (incredible sandworms!); and just the fact that Sci-Fi took time and money to prodice this miniseries (though I will never forgive the cancellation of Farscape).

The bad: Susan Sarandon, for an alleged fan of the Dune series, was just terrible, all hammy and goofy like some character out of a 60s sitcom; the actress who played Alia, Paul Atreides sister, was OK but seemed to lack the fire that I always envisioned as Paul's sister went mad; and the story, which was a mixture of the second and third books in the series, was so incredibly dense -- even for a Dune veteran like me -- that I wondered if anyone else could watch the mini-series and even figure out what was going on.

Generally speaking, this was a better production than the first miniseries, but the story was harder to tell. I hope that Sci-Fi carries on and does a third mini-series. I rated Children of Dune an 8.