"I had been wanting to do sci-fi for a very long time. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie that really impressed me as a teenager. I’m always looking for scifi material, and it’s difficult to find original and strong material that’s not just about weaponry. A longstanding dream of mine is to adapt “Dune”... I can’t say no to that. I have images that I am haunted by for 35 years. I will not say no to that. That’s going to be the project of my life.”
-Denis Villeneuve
A M E S S A G E T O D E N I S V I L L E N E U V E
Dear Denis,
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I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty. I was careful to stick close to images that came to mind when I first read the book as a kid. The minor changes I did make I kept to the spirit of the book. Rediscovering it, I found a layer of depth so far beyond what I originally thought. Willis E. McNelly interviews with Frank Herbert on February 3, 1969 at Herbert's house were very helpful in understanding the nature Frank Herbert's genius, mainly his collections of vast amounts of data and research, his layering technique, and his ideas about "high camp". I applied this to my own approach and think the pieces turned out much better because of it. I think this type of approach applied to visual storytelling will result in a movie of equal depth that I know in my heart will be beloved for generations to come.
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I suppose I should tell you about myself. Like you I grew up in an isolated area with cold winters, and when they came I had nothing to do but read or watch TV or imagine other places. I don't have much money, but the last few months I have been working towards going to school at the Art Center School of Design. I loved your movie Arrival, but when I watched Blade Runner 2049, it completely opened my eyes to what science fiction could be. The brutalist architecture was reminiscent of what I grew up with, the unchecked corporate greed and it's effects on the average citizen, corporation's manipulation of media and and how much harder that manipulation makes it to build a genuine identity. It mirrors the present day in so many ways I have never seen dealt with in movies. Without hyperbole, I can safely say that I feel years from now it will be looked at as my generation's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a stern warning about the effects of climate change. I wanted to personally thank you, Roger Deakins, and everyone else who worked on it for making such a pure piece of artistic expression. I can only hope more movies are made like it, and that years from now will be looked at as a turning point in Science Fiction and movies in general. It was a turning point for me, and it was the moment I knew I needed to go to school as a illustrator as well as follow my aspirations to be a science fiction writer.
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I hope you get the chance to read this. I thank you if you did.
Sincerely,
W. Louis
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