Who has TAKEN the job of directing DUNE?

Pierre Morel to adapt James Herbert's epic novel to the big screen.

By Matt Holmes /

Peter Berg's departure from Dune in October wasn't anything to do with a skewed vision or creative problems - just simply a case of a guy stacking up too many projects. He is currently making Battleship (yes, an adaptation of the board game) which will be an alien sea-fare action film, then he hopes to move onto a Hancock sequel, so as much as he wanted to he just couldn't fit Dune in. It's taken Paramount a while but they have finally chosen his replacement - Pierre Morel, the French born action director behind Taken, District B13 and the upcoming John Travolta crazy looking From Paris With Love. Speaking of which, in a case of good timing, Morel's next film just got a second trailer today. Paramount are now searching for a new writer to re-write Josh Zetumer's (Quantum of Solace) script to fit Morel's vision of the adaptation. I know very little of Dune - I haven't read James Herbert's text and nor have I ever seen the infamous David Lynch original but I am very curious as to how they keep hiring action directors for this project, when to me it sounds like it needs a methodical, cerebral, sci-fi kind of guy. A visionary like a Ridley Scott or a Peter Weir type - no?

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