It looks like we're about to get a lot more Dune-based content than we initially thought.
Norwegian-based games studio Funcom announced today that they've partnered with Legendary Pictures- who are financing the upcoming Villeneuve adaptation- to create a series of video games set in the world of Frank Herbert's best-known work, which has often been cited as unadaptable. The first of these games is set to be an open-world multiplayer game starting in pre-production later this year. Their press release is as follows:
Funcom has entered into an exclusive partnership with Legendary Studios to develop games based on the works of Frank Herbert’s DUNE, one of the world’s best known science fiction universes with multiple adaptations into movies, games and other media.
This is a six year partnership to release at least three titles on the PC/Console platforms, with one of the games planned to be in the “Open World Multiplayer” genre that will enter into pre-production in Funcom’s Oslo studio during 2019.
Entering into this partnership is in line with the company’s strategy of working with strong Intellectual Properties, allowing for two different vast and well known universes – CONAN and DUNE – to be available for the Company’s games.
Villeneuve's adaptation is set to release around November 2020 and has already amassed an impressive all-star cast including Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, and Zendaya. Whether or not Villeneuve will be able to pull it off, with the source material's own rocky history of transposing to film, remains to be seen.
-Wes Ball