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In 1984 David Lynch, with only two features under his belt (Eraserhead and the Oscar nominated The Elephant Man), made his next project the novel that was said to be unfilmable, Frank Herbert’s Dune. The result has been called a travesty by some, cult classic by others, and just unliked by even more. It stood as the lone filmed attempt until the 2000 mini-series on the Sci Fi Channel, which was more successful, but still did not completely capture the epic expanse of the novel’s universe. It is time once again to make an attempt to bring the page to the screen. Will the third time be the charm?

It is being reported at Moviehole.net that Peter Berg will be producing and directing the new adaptation following his campaign for the Herbert estate to allow him to make the film under the Paramount banner. Apparently he was successful. There is no production schedule, nor a release date, but it does appear that the project is a go.

Peter Berg has had success as a director, displaying the ability to cross genres successfully. However, there is nothing in his filmography that would indicate he is able to bring a story such as this to the screen, but I like what I have seen from him and feel that he has earned the right to make the attempt. From his debut in 1998 with the black comedy Very Bad Things to the action flick The Rundown, Friday Night Lights to The Kingdom, Peter Berg has demonstrated good instincts and a keen eye. While none of these films could be called great, they are very good.

It will be interesting to see how well he will manage with this project, which is sure to raise hackles among the Herbert faithful.