Denis Villeneuve Talks DUNE: MESSIAH and Why Paul Atreides Is More Like Anakin Skywalker | INTERVIEW

[@JakesTakesTV]

Thank you for watching my interview! If you liked it, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! I’m posting new celebrity interviews every week!

[@taliagmail.com2005]

ok

[@jacksparrow9227]

Definitely Anakin as Luke didn't have a prophecy weighing over his entire existence

[@jacksparrow9227]

I don't understand why Chani left when the whole plan was marrying Irulan

[@JSK95]

Genius filmmaker yet so humble. We're truly blessed to have directors like Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan saving cinema with their meticulous craft and vision.

[@RyanPerrella]

THE BEST.

[@robderich8533]

(Too) many feel the call, but only a few are truly gifted.

[@michaelevans1578]

What a great interview. To have Villeneuve explain how he will bring Dune Messiah to life is a true pleasure to hear. Impressive.

[@michaelambrosinofilm]

Great interview. He's a really special filmmaker. I just recently watched his film INCENDIES for the first time and it absolutely floored me.

[@JSK95]

I still think that's his masterpiece! Crazy that he made that film before the world knew who he was lol

[@MANIAKRA]

same dude, blew my mind

[@LAZISH]

Best movie of Denis's❤

[@whiskybrush3219]

Yeah that one left me gobsmacked. Could have knocked me over with a feather.

[@anthonynelson6249]

1+1=1

[@javierszapari5836]

One of the most respectful, emotional and kind interview, everrr!!!

[@Hattori_Hanzō_侍]

Those were great questions and Denis remains as humble as always. I think the difference between Anakin and Paul is that being emotionally immature is not as much of a valid reason to go over to the dark side as actually knowing the one path you need to take and reluctantly deciding to follow it because you see no other alternative in all the other possible futures. Both conversions are tragic to watch unfold, but the motivations behind them couldn't be further apart.

[@robbyalp]

Thank you saying this always feel like I'm crazy when people make these comparisons and to me it just doesn't really address the core of what's happening in dune

[@lvx4408]

Good point

[@IsaacAkbar-i2b]

Incredible interview with great questions from Hamilton and even better answers from cinematic maestro Villeneuve ❤️

[@alexsenciuc8910]

The last shot must be Paul losing himself in the desert, I won’t have it any other way

[@jackcrosby2437]

Lol yea when he asked that I was like that’s the only definitive thing we know lol. GOAT ending

[@alexsenciuc8910]

@ I mean it’s not rocket science, I think it would be the perfect ending for every fan of the books

[@christianfowler]

Not only is it the true book ending to Messiah, but it would end in the desert just as Part 2 ended with Chani in the desert. "My road leads into the desert."

[@robbyalp]

You realise a lot of people probably haven't read the book yet?

[@MrKetchoz]

And then whispering "I don't like sand. It's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere"

[@moonborn-musti6051]

Dune Messiah will play out like Revenge of the Sith.If you know you know.

[@Young_pk-p]

I Hope not Rots was dogshit The first two dune movies were amazing

[@joetrudelartwork]

Just like Dune : Part 2 played out like Attack of the Clones in a lot of ways.

[@Young_pk-p]

@@joetrudelartwork dont ever compare a masterpiece like dune 2 to something as absolutly dogshit as attack of the clone

[@barkley8285]

@@Young_pk-p hes right in a way. Dune 2 had a proper romance, a hero taking his first steps to evil, a giant battle beginning a massive galactic war. The difference is one is an incredible feat of cinema, and the other is ..... attack of the clones.

[@barkley8285]

they are nothing alike at all.

[@CarlosArreolaJr]

Great questions and I’m glad I found this channel

[@gabrielnunez02]

This interview was by far the best one I've seen.

[@diosnelfrica590]

Klk mi bro

[@JJScrotus]

I like that Paul seems like a hero at the end of the first book because then it really hammers home the fallout in the next 3

[@davepresley4689]

Poor leto spent 3,500 years cleaning up Paul's mess 😂

[@sawtooth808]

@@davepresley4689 Oh, old worm Leto’s hands are not exactly clean, and he’s definitely not a saint (he “deleted” over 1 trillion people)

[@samgraef3028]

I was wondering the same question about whether he knows the last shot of Messiah, so when you asked him I pumped my fist in the air. Great interview.

[@Charles12]

I always imagine the last shot will be Paul walking aimlessly into the desert, being consumed by the sand storms and the sun burning in the yellow sky. Roll credits

[@riftplut0474]

@@Charles12low key hope it’s just a still shot of him slowly walking away from the camera

[@user-uv7eb1fi4b]

"My road leads into the desert. I can see it."

[@lordcrunk4790]

Book Chani: At first Chani is hunting Paul with a maula pistol, then she is humored but curious about Paul because she knows of the Lisan al Gaib lore and she has trained in Sayyadina Fremen rituals which are steeped with Bene Gesserit rites. Later she is impressed by and protective of Paul. Chani officiates during the Water of Life ceremony. Chani greatly relates to Paul because they both just lost their important Imperial ranking Fathers to the Harkonnens. During the ceremony Chani "spice links" with Paul's Water of Life enhanced prescience and Chani can see some of the future they'll share together, "a time of peace between violence". Chani even sees glimpses of their not yet conceived child Leto, then later carries and bears that child. At one point she takes out at least one of Paul's challengers with her own crysknife skills (Chani doesn't play). Chani also witnesses Paul gulp a handful of the unchanged essence of the Water of Life and not die. She helps revive him from the spice trance and is in awe of her Usul, witnessing his birth, becoming the true "can see everything" KH Messiah. In the end Chani accepts the political marriage because she knows her Usul will never love Irulan and it will be her (Chani's) children that will inherit The Throne.

[@johnnlouis2386]

if he had done that version of chani, non book reader would have considered paul more of a hero, and also paul betrayal of chani is more of a dramatic ending than her accepting the mariage..i wish we had alia of the knife born, but having a child kill the baron and talk like an adult is hard to pull off without it being comical, but i think is was doable

[@whiskybrush3219]

​@@johnnlouis2386 I dont disagree that it would have been difficult to include Saint Alia of the knife, but I disagree that changing Chani was essential for the audience to see the brutality of Paul as the Messiah. I 100% think Timothy could have conveyed the disgust and bitterness felt by Paul for bringing the Landsraad families to "Paradise" . I genuinely feel that would have been sufficient. I can't see how he can bridge that gap to the plot of Messiah now.

[@creativephilo]

If we needed a moral compass, it should have been Stilgar realizing what's to come, not Chani. It's more true to his arc. Chani, for all the reasons you mentioned, is family. And as everyone from Aristotle to Freud has told us, family is *everything*. Chani in the book is true to the tradition of Greek tragedy and makes sense in her thoughts and decisions; Chani in the movies is true to current-day ethics, in which the fantasy of universal virtue is given form. Love Denis' films, but he got this one wrong.

[@johnnlouis2386]

@@whiskybrush3219 it easy you just have paul give chani the speech in the book " it's only a political mariage and i will never touch her" give her a couple of line to protest, then a kiss and problem solve. you just use the speech after the proposal instead of before.. the only gap i see is how they gonna age alia? a 10 year jump won't be enough. it must be 18-20 yrs jump at least..and have a long exposition on how spice keep you looking young, so they can explain how paul,chani and irulan still look so young.

[@johnnlouis2386]

no a love interest has the moral compass is better and way more dramatic...and stilgar going full religious nuts at the end is also way more compelling...the truth is people just don't like zendaya and are searching for a reason to hate on her... i like zendaya but i don't like her in the role..not because of the character change but because she acts to modern in the film, like she is from new york not arrakis.

[@mlizu2554]

Great interviewer, Amazing questions, great answers and an amazing director ❤!

[@berkebalc1758]

Great interview and great choice of questions for the amount of time you had, well done👏🏻👏🏻

[@miggz8487]

If we dont eventually see worm dude ill be sad

[@davidornelas3326]

Awesome interview man

[@colesky33]

Great interview

[@RyanPerrella]

Good questions Jake, the questioner determines the value of the interview. Thank you.

[@hungryguitarstudent]

Excellent questions, great interview!

[@eddybaro7170]

His Dune was the reason I started listening to the audiobooks of Dune, Messiah, Children of Dune.

[@Meesterlijker]

Dude can do nothing wrong for me since Blade Runner 2049

[@AmedeeBoulette]

Did you watch Sicario?

[@pk88-fz5wy]

Blade Runner is the only movie I dont like from Villeneuve 😅

[@ashmckean7543]

did you watch prisoners?

[@RB725GamingHD]

Arrival

[@carpeimodiem]

Since "Next Floor", for me. Which, if you haven't seen it before... this is his short film that, in my humble opinion, has informed his career as a feature filmmaker. You can find it here. Denis is holding up a giant mirror before the human condition. In all its darkness and beauty.

[@BartasRapowanie]

I always enjoy books the most (More than games, movies, anime etc), it’s just such a different level, to be limited only to your imagination, no budget, no celing, reading is just supreme in my opinion But man… when the visuals, the sound, ost, acting, shot composition, the vision, great writing and MOSTLY great directing come all together to create a perfect scene… man, these moments make me so thankful that we have cinema Dune is full of such scenes, but my personal beloved example is the chase scene from Departed. The tension is palpable

[@Corrigan65_]

The way Paul looks at Feyd after the breach. Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler nail it. To me, Feyd recognizes Paul's dark power, and the Kwisatz Haderach is almost dismissive of Feyd. Almost like in that moment he's saying to Feyd, Paul has business with your uncle, hold on a moment

[@sergioagra3846]

We need to see Ghanima and Leto II in a movie in the future please

[@DDR131]

I hope Dune Messiah is one of the greatest epic love stories ever written. I want to feel the pain and the suffering. I want it to be better than Titanic and In the Mood for Love.

[@StephenAlanChandler]

You know people are still learning that Rose and Jack are fictional characters? That’s how real Cameron’s storytelling felt for a lot of us. For Dune: Messiah to be better than Titanic would be a huge feat, especially since it still lies at #4 in highest grossing box office films of all time. Hoping Villeneuve can pull it off 🤞

[@HeisenBird]

Get this man to adapt Hyperion!

[@Dhieen]

So he is going to show some battles that are just mentionned in the book? great, im currently reading for the first time dune messiah and i love it! Im so curious on how he will adapt this book

[@oneway23]

Magic! Great job.

[@dwreckglass]

What a class act.

[@Robotrik1]

In the meeting between Leto II and the Preacher (Paul meets his son) in Children of Dune , the Preacher/Paul tells his son : " I spit on your lesson! You think i've not seen a thing similar to what you choose? " . This means that Paul saw the Golden Path --- the only path forward that didn't end with the extermination of Humanity, and bulked from taking that path for ... unknown reasons , perhaps uncertainty . This scene is very nicely done (if slightly rewritten) in the Children of Dune (2003 miniseries) , and is available on KZbin under the title: Leto II meets his father , by the KZbinr RedMajors . This scene (not explicitly) reaches back to both Dune and Dune Messiah, in the term of what has been bothering Paul about his visions (both intentionally induced and the ones he got before stepping a foot on Dune) . While these visions clearly bothered him, the "solution" to them (in terms of the books) is only expressed in Children of Dune + Godemperor of Dune . Thus it both can and can't be said that "Paul is a heroic character" , as it depends on which story you follow : The classic " Heroic Prince gets his throne stolen and through adventure and adversity he retakes his throne and avenges his betrayed father in the process" , or ... "The unintended Super Being who saw the end of his species , but was unsure / afraid to take the step necessary to sidestep his species destruction" . TL;DR I'm not sure Denis De.... (the director) understands the material as well as he thinks he does ... , as Dune has little to nothing to do with Luke or Anakin Skywalker.

[@matthewpacheco8482]

Interviewer was great

[@hussey1990]

He will go down as the one of the best directors of all time.

[@joaovictorkelima2551]

Just for the record for those who have never read dune, which Messiah of Dune is one of the biggest influences on Revenge of the Sith, as well as all the books from Dune to Star Wars

[@husker4life109]

Its also the least liked of the 6 because people didn’t understand that Paul wasn’t the hero and frank had to double down

[@musayibghani3986]

Revenge of the sith is dog shit tho

[@cardenasgutierrezsimon5800]

Why didn't you ask him about dune prophecy?

[@hermanjackson8857]

Could someone please tell me what Lady Jessica meant when she said “The Kwizzat haddarak (please excuse the spelling) will be born in the south? In my opinion that was the most interesting thing said in Dune 2. She definitely has a plan of her own. Her does not seem to include Paul.

[@axe-z8316]

Cause the water of life, and the recognition by the people, the choice of paul to go through this is done down there

[@jackcrosby2437]

Her whole plan was for Paul to become the Kwisatz Haderach, she said that cuz that’s where Paul drinks the water of life. There’s nothing really more to speculate on that part

[@mmmmm-r6k]

I thought I was the only one that compared Paul Atreides to Michael Corleone... both of them rejected the responsibilities of becoming leaders until the tragic death of their fathers and gaining that power and control changed them completely in a negative way. Went from innately good to evil after getting a glimpse of what true authority and power looks like....

[@travisgray8376]

Pauls downfall is paul thinking he can control his presience (seeing all possible futures) by choosing a future he locks out any other future possiblity.

[@JulianBoyce]

Is Denis now making Dune III before Rendezvous with Rama?

[@squamish4244]

Denis' changes work. At the end of Dune II, you are just as afraid of Paul as you were of the Harkonnens or the Emperor. My only real criticism of the film is that the last half was too rushed. I've read the book, and was initially confused as to why Paul drank the Water of Life, it happened so fast. But more than that, here, the entire strength of the Sardaukar and Fremen seems to be assembled, and yet the battle is over in five minutes? It's the same as what happens in the book, a rapid description of the battle and suddenly the Fremen are in the Throne Room.

[@Michael-y6h7i]

I felt the same way until it dawned on me that Paul has seen every possible outcome and the only way forward was a narrow quick path, what we saw was literally the only one where he succeeded. It kinda makes sense with the nukes, storm and flank attacks: Blitzkrieg approach.

[@squamish4244]

@@Michael-y6h7i Whether it works cinematically is a different issue.

[@lee0utlaw769]

1 for the books Jake! kudos

[@crvlad]

Jake and Denis, the perfect combo. Can t wait for the interviews before Messiah:)

[@Claude-MarcJoseph]

We need this man to do a Star Wars trilogy

[@Flismz]

He had no interest in Star Wars after the Ewoks apparently

[@Zacharysharkhazard]

I feel only he could make Star Wars feel like Star Wars again.

[@kevinwong8693]

dune part two for best,picture at oscars!

[@zaz7675]

Brilliant and genuine ❤

[@lvx4408]

BR2049 is a masterpiece

[@MargoWatchesMovies]

Dune 2 deserves 12 Oscar wins

[@lpluva1]

Chani is a bit of a doormat in the books, so I don't mind at all in what Denis and Zendaya did. But I do now wonder how Denis will bring them back together? Chani wasn't a little salty in the end there, she was furious and seemed to lose some respect for Paul for what what he did, and didn't do. How could she look at him the same and have the same love for him that she did? It's quite possible she's pregnant at this point in the films, so maybe that will provide motivation for them to reunite. In the books they lose their first child in a Harkonnen attack, then Chani dies giving birth to their twins, after years of being drugged by Princess Irulan so she couldn't get pregnant. Maybe she is already pregnant with the twins and still dies in childbirth, so she and Paul never really find that love again. But ultimately we would still end up at the same point in the story going into Children Of Dune. Anyone else have ideas about it?

[@jonathannaughton8554]

If there's any character I'd compare Paul Atreides to, its Michael Corleone.

[@TK-wn3te]

Audiences absolutely see Paul leading the Fremen to freedom at the end as a victory. I know it was his intention to make Paul a cautionary figure, but he failed.

[@Gfddyjhfy00]

I think messiah should be made to 3 parts

[@WampaReacts]

Why didn't they get him for the Star Wars sequels? WHY!?!?!?

[@CeciditLux]

That’s exactly how I felt leaving the movie and why I loved it so much. Paul’s story felt like a better fleshed out, more earned version of Anakin

[@arcanum3882]

Dune Messiah was a character assassination by Frank Herbert because he was resentful of how popular Paul Atreides became.

[@multicreativeartist6579]

Denis Villeneuve should direct a Star Wars movie

[@AmedeeBoulette]

Absolutely not 😂 There is far better material out there….

[@Quincy299]

@@AmedeeBoulettewhy not Star Wars has a lot of novel too like darth plaguise novel and darth bane novel

[@AmedeeBoulette]

@@Quincy299 try something like "Revelation Space" or "Schismatrix Plus". Maybe it will change what you think of Star Wars.

[@Deeznuts-di3ne]

He’s probably never gonna he is doing rendezvous with rama and cleopatra in the near future

[@davepresley4689]

If Anakins son was Palpitine

[@javierszapari5836]

The title must be Anakin is like Paul Atreidis. Lucas took a lot of the Dune saga for Star Wars

[@intuitivefilmanalysis]

This should have been longer, great talk tho!

[@c.b.1359]

3:13

[@mmmmm-r6k]

The analogy makes the most sense... and lady jessica is just like palpatine. Both were living a double life and brainwashed their apprentice into joining the 'dark side'.

[@andermendz]

Correction: Anakin Skywalker is like Paul Atreides.

[@andrewpiltenko9432]

Please let him sleep 😭

[@themuffinloverphysicist]

"Why Paul Atreides is like Anakin" lmao if anything isn't it the other way around?

[@MJ-je4xg]

Only 2 golden globe nominations for Dune II is an absolute shocker & disaster from the voters.

[@RB725GamingHD]

I think they’re waiting for the 3rd movie to go all out on nominations, like Return of the King

[@nickpapadopoulos6973]

To quote Denis Villeneuve himself "LONG LIVE CINEMA!"

[@sphmoran28]

Denis Villeneuve is my favorite director along with Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, and many European directors. Denis is a genius.

[@bfkc111]

2:58 So what, he basically fulfilled the goal he set out to do since the start and to which the audience was made sympathetic in that (horrific) start. I find the "high-minded" discussions about this sort of construed. There is nothing along the way which changes that (Shani is not religious and disagrees with the religious people about how to think religiously...? Oh my). It's kind of funny how that's always treated. I believe it will become clearer in the future, yes, but so far? It's just whining about "look how grim life can be" or "war isn't nice". But even so, in that same movie the bad guy shows at length why he's actually the bad guy (in all this simplicity, which is perfectly okay). It's a kind of sudden onset of hypocrisy about grim things in life or the story itself.

[@----ic6pw]

In my opinion Chani was very annoying in her role and made part 2 feel less realistic. Why? Because she is sobbing and standing up to Paul in a pretty ridculous way, which is not believable in the middle of a huge uprising war against the Emperor and Harkonnen.It's hard to believe somebody would be as focused on a lofe affair as Chani is in the middle of battle and immediate death. Also the whole love story between Paul and Chani in the midst of the battle is very Holywoodish and teenish. I would have prefered the love story and Chani to be as boring as in the book, it would have interferred less.

[@LU6TIE]

👀

[@jmcman6104]

Correction: Anakin Skywalker is like Paul 😭

[@francinocasieri5073]

Leto the second is more like Anakin then Paul is

[@farukusu]

Lmao straight out of bed and you can see the difference in energy between the two

[@DanielWhite-v4e]

jam doughnut

[@eltravos99]

I mean...Luke Skywalker killed 1.9 million people on the Death Star so...........

[@ryanbaker5296]

OH no feel bad for the space nazi flying around in plant killing military space station that a week before killed billions by blowing up a planet

[@husker4life109]

Paul killed 61 billion

[@plo617]

Denis - So Frank and I wanted to know what you thought of Chani at the end of the film. Frank - Wait, THAT was Chani?... Denis - .... 🎵 Hello darkness my old friend 🎵

[@MDCB1]

Storytelling Masterclass - GOOD!!!

[@ebonyivoryconnection1380]

Jake, the world needs more people like you.

[@ecbrown6151]

Denis should have insisted that Ferguson read the novels, her performance suffered as a result. He let it slide but her performance was WAY over the top for an order of women who have extreme control of their bodies and emotions.

[@ecbrown6151]

@Trey-s4l she’s good in Silo so far and was excellent in Doctor Sleep but she’s just miscast here, as well as Chris Walken, who I love (who doesn’t) but he’s just not right for the part.

[@regeneratus-l2w]

This trilogy will always be handicapped as long as that actress plays Paul’s lover. She is a truly terrible actress and takes away from the love story which falls flat and the movie as a whole.

[@keichwhicker4360]

100%. And him changing her character was a big misstep. No reason for it. In the book it was Jessica doubting, who instead essentially goes crazy in the movie. Bizarre choices.

[@Hobie02425]

Clown to clown convo, there is zero foundation to calling Zendaya a terrible actress, given the most common critique I see is her emoting TOO MUCH apprehension and frustration in the role. You’ve brought up a narrative change but haven’t actually explained how that change is a net negative. Yes, Jessica and Chani have altered roles. You know what else? Jessica gets completely shafted in the Dune Messiah book and Chani has zero personality or character arc. Now think about what we could potentially get in the movies: a Jessica that continues to be present and influential working AGAINST Paul’s true inner desires, and a Chani that stays dynamic in character and eventually gets to where she is in the books through tangible romantic feelings. You people treat the Dune books like they are flawless in character writing and cast balance when that is probably the series’ biggest weakness. What you stubborn purists see as a handicap, I see as a true Dune fan making an already incredible series potentially even better.

[@geoffmcdaniel1264]

@@Hobie02425 Just be respectful and make your point without name calling. You don’t need to be offended for Zendaya.

[@Hobie02425]

@@geoffmcdaniel1264 Im offended for the greater Dune mythos, couldn’t care less abt Zendaya. If you can’t handle the word “clown” or “purist” being thrown around then maybe the internet isn’t the right place for you.

[@geoffmcdaniel1264]

@@Hobie02425 that’s weird. Your argument started with name calling and defending zendaya. Maybe mean what you say 😂

[@CraigPMiller]

Paul Atreides was a coward who 'kicked the can down the road' forcing his son to take up the mantle of God Emperor and force humanity along the Golden Path.

[@MercuryCold]

😂 are you 12?

[@CraigPMiller]

@@MercuryCold Attacking the man and not the ball? Is my age relevant to anything? Paul let his wife be poisoned so he could be with her for longer, postponing her inevitable death with the birth of their child. NOTE - Paul didn't know everything. He was surprised by the twins.

[@MercuryCold]

@@CraigPMiller ,no stupid, calling you a 12 year old is a way of making fun of how your brain doesn't work well . Nothing you listed is true and yes you have the mind of a twelve year old. I love that a real life coward is referring to a fictional character as a coward who is the embodiment of the exact opposite. Also try reading the dune novels before commenting, spoiler... without Paul's actions everyone in the universe dies.fyi

[@PatrickF.Fitzsimmons]

Dune messiah is a mistake audiences won't like it.

[@66UNDERGROUND]

Star wars is history! A myth ! Ok Dune is great even it’s a lot boring but Star Wars on the opposite, I mean the first trilogy, never took itself too seriously and more over, it’s romantic and touching! Dune characters are cold and far from heart. Star Wars made history! Dune made success 😁

[@Cukito4]

What's wrong with these people? ANAKIN is like Paul. Dune was written in 1965, waaaay before Star Wars.

[@Cukito4]

Why does the interviewee have to learn other languages but the interviewer only has to know ONE?

[@MercuryCold]

Why you making that up?

[@MercuryCold]

His dune movies are nothing like the dune books sorry.

[@humbleopulence]

This filmmaker is so full of crap. His Dune films are just expensive vanity projects with just a smidge less depth than Star Wars, which, ironically, cannibalized Dune 's source material in the first place. Everything that made Dune Dune is this guy removed from the movies and dont give me that "there was no time crap". Villeneuve had an hour more than the miniseries to work with and those had 95 percent of the book in them. This guy just doesn't know how to edit movies, nor how to restrain his own bad instincts

[@beartrap3400]

Yeah I'm sure your adaptation is much better.

[@humbleopulence]

@beartrap3400 it very likely would be yes. I sketched my own adaptation at 15 and it was far better structured than Villeneuve's drivel. And that was at 15. Sure, I never wrote it into a screenplay, but that's just asking for too much without getting paid, yeah?

[@michaelevans1578]

Truly this comment is in the extreme minority. To each his own, but this characterization of Villeneuve is hard to agree with.

[@MT-eo6tq]

@@humbleopulence the Oscar noms say OTHERWISE COPE AND SEETHE

[@humbleopulence]

@MT-eo6tq the oscars haven't been relevant in twenty years. Having an entire establishment proven to be bought and paid for cheerlead a film is not exactly vouching for its quality.