Director Christopher Nolan heaped praise on Denis Villeneuve’s excellent take on Dune. The man behind The Dark Knight called Villeneuve’s 2024 film “a miraculous job of adaptation” in front of a DGA crowd. Nolan spoke to Vileneuve on-stage as part of a For Your Consideration campaign, propping up the sci-fi epic for several awards. The two masters of cinema unpacked many elements of the stellar journey to Arrakis.
Christopher Nolan Loved Dune: Part Two
Both Nolan and Villeneuve are filmmakers’ filmmakers. Both men craft spectacular works of blockbuster entertainment that manage to maintain much of the cinematic magic they crave. Nolan expressed his appreciation for Dune: Part Two in that DGA panel, celebrating it in the tradition of Star Wars. He compared the original film to the 1977 classic while hailing Dune: Part Two as Villeneuve’s Empire Strikes Back. Nolan applauded Dune‘s “sense of immersion in that world” and the many “unique images” Villeneuve was able to create.
Nolan is a longtime sci-fi fan, with a particular fondness for films like Alien and Blade Runner. While the panel came together to bring award-show attention to Dune: Part Two, Nolan recently brought home two Oscars for Oppenheimer. Villeneuve has also spoken very highly of Nolan in the past, citing him as an example of hope in the world of blockbuster cinema.
Christopher Nolan is far from the only fan of Dune right now. The first half of Villeneuve’s adaptation brought home six Academy Awards, widespread critical approval, and $407.7 million. Dune: Part Two outdid its predecessor with a $714.4 million box-office haul and even more praise from critics. Villeneuve will eventually tackle Dune: Messiah, which will complete his trilogy. Hardcore fans can continue to explore the universe through the Dune: Prophecy prequel airing now on HBO. Nolan knows his sci-fi, and if his seal of approval was what you were waiting for, Dune: Part Two finally has it.
