Dune to Receive Exclusive NFTs Ahead of Film Premiere

By Jamie Lovett

Dune is getting into the collectible NFT game ahead of its October debut in theaters and HBO Max. Legendary Entertainment announced a collaboration with iv gallery, Lineage Studios, and MakersPlace to offer an official Dune NFT collection inspired by Denis Villeneuve's new film adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel. The collection includes detailed in-world royal portraits of characters from House Atreides and House Harkonnen and sculptures and artifacts found on the desert planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune. The Dune: Future Artifacts collection will release on September 22nd, with future expansions to be announced in the coming weeks. 

The press release announced the collection revealed what fans could find within. It includes the following:

  • Digital Sculptures – Dune's most iconic characters, crafted in the likeness of the film's all-star cast including two editions of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya), Baron Vladimir Harkkonen (Stellan Skarsgård), Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac).
  • Hans Zimmer's Dune Score – Every digital sculpture is elevated by the accompaniment of excerpts from the groundbreaking original score of world-renowned composer, Hans Zimmer.
  • Spice Artwork – Fans will also have an opportunity to obtain a special limited-edition piece of art celebrating Spice, because as every Dune aficionado knows, he who controls the Spice controls the universe.

The Dune: Future Artifacts program will continue with more releases, including memorabilia and art. Expansions will include:

  • A special collection of original pieces from well-known digital artists such as Boss Logic, Matt Griffin and NFN Kalyan
  • Additional digital statue sculpts
  • Special in-world weaponry, including the storied crysknife

"This collection represents an exciting new direction in the NFT space," said James Ngo, Executive Vice President of Franchise Management for Legendary Entertainment, in a press release. "We are thrilled to have created a new collectible experience for the fandom by using exclusive assets taken directly from the film to give enthusiasts a whole new way to not only acquire film memorabilia but also further immerse themselves into the world of Dune."

Frank Herbert's original Dune novel contained strong environmentalist themes and warned against the dangers of greedily-applied new technology. The sudden popularity of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and their embrace by corporations, remains controversial. NFTs are digital certificates of authenticity that prove the copy of an image they're attached to is the creator-sold authentic "original." Many critics note that NFTs pose a threat to the environment. NFTs and the cryptocurrencies that use the same technology draw considerable power to their servers to run the recurring programs that verify the "proof-of-work" needed to determine each work's uniqueness.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Dune opens in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22nd.

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