Steven Spielberg, the acclaimed director behind countless Hollywood classics that include Jaws (1975), Jurassic Park (1993), and Raiders of the Lost Ark, has revealed his thoughts on Denis Villeneuve’s latest film, Dune: Part Two, stating that it is one of the “most brilliant science fiction films” that he’s ever seen. Spielberg, whose recent credits include executive producer on Paramount’s Halo series, also revealed his list of top directors, including George Lucas and James Cameron.
Spielberg told Villeneuve:
- “…you have made one of the most brilliant science-fiction films I’ve ever seen.”
- “… there are filmmakers who are the builders of worlds. It’s not a long list…and I deeply, fervently believe that you are one of its newest members.”
- “This is a desert-loving story, but for such a desert-loving film there is such a yearning for water in this movie. For all the sand you have in this film, it’s really about water.”
- “You film the desert to resemble an ocean, a sea. The sandworms were like sea serpents. And that scene surfing the sandworms is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever! But you made the desert look like a liquid.”
Spielberg’s list of top directors include:
- Georges Méliès
- Walt Disney
- Stanley Kubrick
- George Lucas
- Ray Harryhausen
- Federico Fellini
- Tim Burton
- Wes Anderson
- Peter Jackson
- James Cameron
- Christopher Nolan
- Ridley Scott
- Guillermo del Toro
Variety learned earlier this month that the sandworm scene took over six weeks to shoot:
The director goes full white-knuckle thrill ride in its sequel, orchestrating a glorious sandworm riding sequence that took 44 days to shoot. It was the most complex thing Villeneuve had ever attempted to do. It needed to feel edgy, dangerous, exciting and real. […] [Production designer Patrice] Vermette explains the sandworm was a 90-foot-long by 24-foot-wide set piece.