Ridley Scott's Lost Dune: Unveiling a 40-Year-Old Script
This week marks four decades since David Lynch's Dune premiered, a box office flop that later cultivated a devoted cult following. This stands in stark contrast to Denis Villeneuve's recent big-screen adaptations of Frank Herbert's epic novel. Ridley Scott's involvement, before Lynch took the helm, has remained largely shrouded in mystery—until now.
A 133-page draft of Scott's abandoned Dune screenplay, penned by Rudy Wurlitzer in October 1980, has surfaced. This discovery, thanks to T.D. Nguyen, within the Coleman Luck archives at Wheaton College, sheds light on a previously unseen interpretation of Herbert's work.
Scott, fresh off the success of Alien, inherited a two-part screenplay by Herbert himself—a faithful but cinematically unwieldy adaptation. Scott selected a handful of scenes, then enlisted Wurlitzer (after Harlan Ellison declined) for a complete rewrite. Like Herbert's and Villeneuve's versions, it was conceived as the first part of a two-film epic.
Wurlitzer described the project to Prevue Magazine in 1984 as incredibly challenging, requiring more time outlining than writing the final script. He believed they captured the novel's essence while refining it with a unique sensibility. Scott himself, in a 2021 interview with Total Film, simply stated, "The script is pretty fucking good."
Several factors contributed to the project's collapse: the death of Scott's brother, his reluctance to film in Mexico (De Laurentiis's demand), a ballooning budget exceeding $50 million, and the allure of Filmways' Blade Runner project. However, as Universal executive Thom Mount noted in A Masterpiece in Disarray – David Lynch's Dune, the script lacked universal acclaim.
Was Wurlitzer's adaptation a cinematic failure, or simply too dark, violent, and politically charged for a mainstream blockbuster? A detailed analysis of the script allows readers to form their own conclusions. While Wurlitzer and Scott declined to comment for this article, the script itself speaks volumes.
A Darker Paul Atreides
The script opens with a dream sequence depicting apocalyptic armies traversing the universe, foreshadowing Paul's destiny. Scott's signature visual density is evident in descriptions like "birds and insects become a whirling hysteria of motion." This Paul, however, is a 7-year-old, not Timothée Chalamet's portrayal, undergoing trials with the Reverend Mother. The Litany Against Fear is interwoven with Jessica's own recitation, highlighting their psychic bond. While Lynch's version featured similar imagery of burning flesh, Wurlitzer's is more suggestive.
This young Paul displays a "savage innocence," wielding The Voice to retrieve a sword and nearly killing Duncan Idaho. Producer Stephen Scarlata, of the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune, notes that Wurlitzer's Paul is more assertive, actively taking charge, and even features a flash-forward showcasing his rapid growth into a formidable warrior surpassing Duncan. Scarlata, however, prefers Lynch's portrayal for its added tension and vulnerability.
The Emperor's Demise and a New Catalyst
The script shifts to Castle Caladan, where a gardener announces the Emperor's death—a pivotal departure from the book. This leads to the gathering of the Great Houses at the Emperor's "Inner Kingdom," a mystical setting where the deceased Emperor, through a medium, bestows Arrakis upon Duke Leto. This sets the stage for the Baron Harkonnen's machinations and his near-identical line to the 1984 film: "Who controls Dune controls the Spice, and who controls the Spice controls the Universe."
A Guild Navigator, visualized as an elongated, humanoid creature, is also introduced, plotting the Heighliner's course through musical intonations—a subtle nod to Scott's Prometheus.
The Arrival on Arrakis and Urban Decay
The Atreides family arrives on Arrakis, and the script emphasizes the ecological devastation caused by spice mining. Liet Kynes introduces Chani, and their ornithopter flight through a factory ship echoes the dystopian landscapes of Blade Runner. The script also depicts the squalor of Arakeen, highlighting class disparity and echoing Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers.
A bar fight, seemingly added for action, showcases Paul's early prowess, a point of contention for Scarlata, who argues it undermines Paul's character development. The encounter with Stilgar and the subsequent assassination of a Harkonnen agent further heighten the violence.
Intense Desert Escape and a Missing Element
Paul and Jessica's escape into the desert is intense, culminating in a crash landing and a harrowing journey. The script features a face-off with a giant sandworm, mirroring Villeneuve's adaptation. However, a crucial element from earlier drafts—the incestuous relationship between Paul and Jessica—is absent, a change that reportedly angered Herbert and De Laurentiis.
The script still contains moments of intimacy between mother and son, but stops short of explicit depictions.
The Fremen and the Water of Life
The script depicts the encounter with the Fremen, the duel with Jamis, and Paul's acceptance into the tribe. Chani's role is expanded, and the Water of Life ceremony is described as a mystical, almost erotic ritual involving a shaman with three breasts and a sandworm. The ceremony concludes with Jessica becoming the new Reverend Mother. The script ends with Paul and Jessica, alongside Chani, accepted by the Fremen, setting the stage for future conflicts. The sandworm ride, a key element Herbert desired, is alluded to but not explicitly shown.
A Bold, Revisionist Vision
Wurlitzer's script, while diverging significantly from Herbert's novel, offers a bold, revisionist interpretation, emphasizing the ecological, political, and spiritual aspects of Dune. The script's dark tone and graphic violence likely contributed to its rejection. Mark Bennett of DuneInfo suggests the script's numerous deviations and its "magic" elements might have alienated fans.
The script's legacy includes H.R. Giger's sandworm design and the influence on Scott's later films, particularly Gladiator II. Ian Fried highlights the script's unique treatment of the ecological themes, arguing it's more integrated than in other adaptations. The script's mature themes, while perhaps ahead of its time, remain relevant today. Perhaps, decades from now, another filmmaker will revisit this lost vision, bringing Scott's Dune to the screen.
