Rendezvous With Rama Movie in the Works With Denis Villeneuve Directing

Once Denis Villeneuve finishes up his work on Dune, he’ll be taking on yet another adaptation of a classic sci-fi tale. The acclaimed filmmaker will be moving from the literary works of Frank Herbert to those of beloved genre author Arthur C. Clarke, the man who famously wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey. Villeneuve will be directing an adaptation of Clarke’s popular story Rendezvous With Rama, working alongside Alcon Entertainment.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rendezvous With Rama will be Villeneuve’s next project after Dune: Part Two. Alcon and Villeneuve previously worked together on Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049, both of which brought great acclaim for the filmmaker. Morgan Freeman previously held the film rights to Clarke’s 1973 novel, and he’ll be producing the vilm with Lori McCreary via their Revelations Entertainment banner. Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove will also be producing.

“This is one of the most intelligent works of fiction in the genre; it poses as many questions as it does answers, and is a work for our time,” said Johnson and Kosove. “It’s perfectly fitted to our friend and collaborator Denis’ brilliant sensibilities and specifically to his love and passion for science fiction. We are also pleased to work with Morgan and Lori, who have a long-standing passion for this IP.”

Villeneuve has become one of the biggest names in the sci-fi genre in some time, having delivered groundbreaking efforts with Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and now Dune. The first half of the Herbert adaptation was released by Legendary and Warner Bros. earlier this year and is currently approaching $400 million at the box office. The studios have already greenlit the second film, which Villeneuve will direct, in addition to helming episodes of Dune: The Sisterhood, the prequel series on HBO Max. 

“We have been hearing in the past few decades that it’s not possible to adapt this book, and that it’s an impossible task. I think that in the back of the mind of the studio, it’s still the same!” Villeneuve told Total Film earlier this year. “So the first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project. They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic.”

Are you looking forward to seeing how Denis Villeneuve handles Rendezvous With Rama? Let us know in the comments!