Dunedirector Denis Villeneuve rose to fame over the past few years due to his consistently entertaining movies. Beginning his mainstream English-language introduction withPrisoners(2013),Villeneuve delivered critical success after critical successwithEnemy(2013),Sicario(2015),Arrival(2016),Blade Runner 2049(2017), andDune(2021). Thanks to these movies, the French-Canadian filmmaker has amassed a sizable following, and is regarded as one of the best directors of the 21st century. WithDune: Part Tworeleasing soon, many fans of the filmmaker are wondering what he’s been up to since his highly anticipatedDunesequel wrapped filming.
Villeneuve is currently working onThe Son, an HBO miniseries with an intriguing premise starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Ifreports from this past summer remain true,The Sonentered production earlier this fall, with shooting taking place in and around Oslo, Norway. Villeneuve is attached to direct the miniseries, and other exciting names, like Jonathan Nolan, are attached to produce. Following Villeneuve’s commercial success with big-budget sci-fi productions likeDuneandArrival, fans are excited for the director to return to his roots of gritty dramas.
Box office
$46 million
$122 million
$5-10 million
$3.5 million
$30 million
$84 million
$47 million
$203 million
$180 million
$267 million
$165 million
$402 million
BeforeDune’srelease, it wasn’t certain that Villeneuve could be counted on to deliver a box-office hit. Other leading directors, like Christopher Nolan andQuentin Tarantino, have long been established as box-office stalwarts. But until recently, Villeneuve was still chasing that reputation. Although he experienced great commercial success withPrisonersandArrival,Blade Runner 2049was a major flop at the box office due to its massive $180 million budget and R rating.Blade Runner 2049’sexcellent reception from critics and fansalike was not enough to overcome these factors. It made “only” $267 million, which is not nearly enough to make up for the movie’s production costs plus its marketing and distribution campaigns.
It could be said thatBlade Runner 2049walked so thatDunecould run. Warners Bros. and Villeneuve learned from the earlier movie’s mistakes, implementing a PG-13 rating for the star-studded movie. Fans of theDunestory will know that the movie could have easily been rated R, but in the interest of commercial success, the studio made the correct decision.
AlthoughVilleneuve had his fair share of doubters going into 2021’sDunerelease, the French-Canadian director silenced them without words. The ticket buyers did the talking for him, as his movie brought in $402 million and Villeneuve was immediately greenlit to direct a sequel.Dune: Part Twowrapped filming almost a year ago, and it’s likely that post-production is nearly finished. Now that Villeneuve has proven that he can deliver a high-profile box-office hit while under intense pressure, his new project may come as a welcome change of pace. However, its subject matter is no walk in the park.
Since his work onDune: Part Two, Villeneuve has pivoted to his HBO miniseriesThe Son. Fans of the director’s filmography will know that Villeneuve has excellent skill when it comes to picking stories to adapt on film. This project is no different. While official details surroundingThe Son’sproduction remain sparse, fans of the acclaimed director will be excited to learn about his new project’s captivating premise.
Critic’s Opinion
Los Angeles Times
“Nesbo delivers a revved-up, entertaining red harvest, another guaranteed hit from a forceful thriller machine.”
“One of Nesbø’s best, deepest, and richest novels.”
Florida-Times Union
“[Nesbo] has crafted an elegant stand-alone novel full of vengeance and redemption.”
Publishers Weekly
“[The Son] takes the reader on a chilling ride with many unexpected twists.”
Crime Fiction Lover
“A wonderful read wrapped tightly in nuance, emotion, and action.”
The Sonis based on a popular Norwegian book of the same name published in 2014. Written by Jo Nesbo, an established crime-thriller author who has topped best-selling charts throughout his career, the book quickly gained popularity outside of Norway’s borders. It eventually reached the hands of Gyllenhaal, who enjoyed its story so much that he brought it to his long-time collaborator and friend Villeneuve. The two originally wanted to make the novel into a movie, but this eventually evolved into a miniseries which was picked up by HBO.
InThe Son, Jake Gyllenhaal will star as the wrongfully convicted felon Sonny Lofthus. When the story begins, Sonny has been incarcerated for almost half of his life. In exchange for having taken the fall for someone else, he is supplied with an unending stream of smuggled heroin to keep him content behind bars. Partly thanks to his heroine-induced zen state, Sonny has developed a Buddha-like reputation in the prison, offering consolation and therapy to his fellow convicts. However, he soon learns that the alleged suicide of his father, a corrupt cop who was thought to have taken his own life rather than face exposure, was not what it seemed. After Sonny realizes that his sentencing may have played a role in a criminal conspiracy involving his father, he concludes that extreme action must be taken in order to find the truth. After Sonny’s daring escape from prison, the story has only just begun.
Who are the people now hunting Sonny? And who exactly are the people that Sonny should be after? Villeneuve’s masterful storytelling andGyllenhaal’s acting skillsshould provide for another exceptionally entertaining miniseries from HBO, which will hopefully be released sometime in late 2024 or early 2025.
Dune
Based on the novel by Frank Herbert, Dune follows the story of Paul Atreides played by Timothée Chalamet, whose family take control of a planet that holds the key to faster than light travel, and certain mental powers. This futuristic fantasy world is rife with politics, religion, wars and betrayals, as empires and factions fight for control over the planet.
