News & Announcements

According to this blog as WarnerBros.com, Robert Pattinson - who starred in the film Twilight - is being linked to the new Dune movie directed by Peter Berg.  To me he looks slightly too old to be Paul, but I can't really see who else he would be, and he does have an army of fans who would no doubt watch the film if he was in it.

Kevin J Anderson has recently been interviewed on the Tor website (who publish his books in the US), which frequently mentions Frank Herbert and the Duniverse.  A certain member of this site is also referenced to within the interview, it wont take much guessing to work out who!

For example, for Paul of Dune, one guy posted attacking comments to 40 out of 42 five-star reviews on amazon, the same guy attacked 24 out of 24 four-star reviews, the same guy runs a hate site, and the *same guy* maintains a Twitter feed devoted solely to bashing our stuff. And when somebody posts with great vehemence how much they hated book after book after book, how can you take them seriously? Anyone who keeps reading the novels for the sole purpose of attacking them just has an axe to grind and is clearly biased.

Its an interesting interview so check it out, although for those who do follow KJA's Twitter, you will notice that KJA does defend Frank Herbert's honour, for example pointing out to someone recently, that Children of Dune was the first novel marked as Sci Fi to reach the New York Times bestseller list in response to a claim of their own.
 

--posted by Dunenewt on Jun 9, 2009

I've been a bit slow with the news over the last few weeks due to uni work and my 21st birthday, but here we go.

Bryon Merritt has announced that the first draft written by Joshua Zetumer for the new Dune film has been finished.  This is backed up by an interview with producer Kevin Misher on io9.com, which says the film could be 'green lit' soon.

In an interview with Kevin J Anderson on ProjectFanboy.com, he suggests that a Dune graphical novel is in the works.

--posted by Dunenewt on Apr 27, 2009

A Dune community on Second Life has received a 'cease and desist' order from the Trident Media Group on behalf of the Herbert Foundation, saying that the 'Trident Media Group has complained about your use of characters, concepts and other material associated with 'Dune' in the Second Life environment'.  Although there were only 130 people participating in it, they have been forced to remove all Dune related names, such as Bene Gesserit.  Ironically, according to this blog, Star Wars fans have expressed an interest in using the desert world, into which went a lot of work, as a spice mining planet as 'Star Wars has spice too'. 

However, according to his Twitter, Kevin J. Anderson knows nothing about this.  So is this just the Trident Media Group acting of their own accord in an effort to protect intellectual property, and are there plans for a Dune MMORPG in the works?  Thanks to Andrew for posting the information in the forums.

--posted by Dunenewt on Apr 14, 2009

Stillsuits come one step closer to reality.  The Popular Science website has reported that the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed technology which it compares to the technology used in the Fremen stillsuits of Dune.  Tiny microscopic generators that can be powered by the movements of the human body, wind, or light have been created, and have been suggested as a possible device to power stillsuits, should they ever be created.  The stillsuits mentioned in the book were powered by heel pumps, which according to a study mentioned in the Popular Science article, aren't practical for use as they impair walking.  For more information, click here.

Chapterhouse Dune audio book reviewed.  Publishers Weekly have reviewed the Chapterhouse Dune audio book, calling it an audio book with a 'superb direction' and a 'talented cast', although noting that any listener who hasn't read or listened to any of the previous 5 classic Dune books will find it difficult.  For more information, click here.

Dreamer of Dune audio book announced.  Scott Brick, who is featured on the Chapterhouse Dune audio book, as well as other Dune audio books, has mentioned on his website that a Dreamer of Dune audio book is 'in the works but a bit delayed.  For more information, click here.

Still no Dune movie news?  Peter Berg has been suggested by the MTV Movies blog as a possible choice to direct Mission Impossible IV, which is rumoured to be in the works.  Whilst the current filming commitments of other candidates is mentioned, there is nothing about Berg's work on Dune.  However, assuming everything is fine with the movie, I have another casting idea, based on Berg's previous work.  Minka Kelly has worked with Berg on the TV series Friday Night Lights, and the film The Kingdom, and could be a possible choice for Irulan (I know Irulan is blonde, but hair can be dyed).

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 31, 2009

Given the recent burst of activity in the forums, I have decided to relaunch the chatroom.  The new Fed2k Chatroom can be accessed by clicking here, so make sure you bookmark the link. 

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 21, 2009

Well, not quite as big, but according to the Daily Telegraph, ancient worms have been discovered, measuring 3 foot long and six inches wide which are unlike any previously found species.  Dr Kevin Page of the University of Plymouth, who was involved in finding the fossils in Devon, said "They would have looked like the worms from the film Dune. It is science fiction meeting science fact.".

In other news...
...Kevin J Anderson has recently been asked to become the editor for the next volume of the Nebula Award Stories, according to the latest update from the Dune blog on the official site.
...and he has also written an article about the relationship between science fiction and the technology community, which can be viewed here.
...Bryon Merritt has announced that the recent title change from Jessica of Dune to The Winds of Dune was a decision made by the publisher.

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 16, 2009

For several months now, there's been no news on the new Dune movie due to be released next year, which makes me wonder whether it is still going to be a big budget blockbuster, or has it been downsized?  Last month, a post from Bryon Merritt, Frank's grandson, over on the official Dune website, suggests that 'we should be hearing more about the new DUNE film within the next 60 to 90 days', and over at Sandchigger's Blog (which is always worth a read, even if you are a fan of the new books), its mentioned that Kevin J Anderson met up with Rick Rubenstein recently, who is the Executive Producer of the new film, and that KJA and BH are expecting a draft of the script soon.  What scenes would you like to see cast in the new Dune film, and who would you like to see in the new movie?  I'm sure there will be rumours soon about the actors involved, although I've got a pretty good feeling that Jason Bateman will be involved, having been cast in Peter Berg's last two films.

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 13, 2009

The Winds of Dune is now available to pre-order on Amazon.  Click here for the UK link, and here for the US link.  The product description seems a little misleading, as the book actually takes place immediately after Dune Messiah:

'Between the end of Frank Herbert's DUNE and his next novel, DUNE MESSIAH, lies an intriguing mystery: how a hero adored by a planet became a tyrant hated by a universe. Paul Atreides is the man who overthrew a corrupt empire and then launched a terrible jihad across the galaxy, shedding the blood of trillions. The now-hated tyrant, the blind emperor Paul Muad'Dib, has walked off into the endless desert of the planet Arrakis, known as Dune, leaving his turbulent empire without guidance. It's up to his mother Jessica, with her daughter Alia, the brave troubadour-warrior Gurney Halleck, the resurrected Duncan Idaho, the Fremen leader Stilgar, as well as Paul's wife-in-name and biographer, Princess Irulan, to try and hold an empire together even as it tears itself apart from within and without.'

By the way, if you type 'Winds of Dune' into Google, this site currently appears as the third result, so if you have read this from Google, this site will be the place to find out all the latest news on The Winds of Dune.

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 12, 2009

First of all, Whistler & Voodoo Daddy from over on the Emperor boards will be holding another Emperor Battle for Dune - Long Live The Fighters Tournament.  This tournament is open to everyone and you can read about the tournament and sign up if you are interested here.  Prizes are being offered for 1st and 2nd place. The awards will be similar to the ones given to the winners of the last tournament, pictured below.


Also, it has been revealed that The Winds of Dune will begin with Jessica receiving the news that Paul has walked off into the desert.  The novel itself has been completed and spell checked, and has now been sent to Tor proof reading.  It will be slightly shorter than Paul of Dune, and is still on course to be released in the US in August.

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 12, 2009

The next Dune novel has been renamed Winds of Dune (sometimes written as The Winds of Dune, not sure which one is right), from Jessica of Dune.  According to Kevin J Anderson, the reason behind this is because:
 'We think it better conveys the large scope of the story, the epic feel of the novel, rather than implying it's just a small story about one person. Jessica is still the prominent character, but she isn't the only character and the story covers a lot of ground.'
Irulan of Dune has also been changed to The Throne of Dune.  Winds of Dune has been sent to the publishers after several edits from Brian and Kevin.  As with the previous KJA/BH books, Stephen Youll has created the cover art for the book which can be seen below.

--posted by Dunenewt on Mar 10, 2009