Dune Director Drops Out of HBO Series Starring Jake Gyllenhaal

Dune: Part Two is heading to theaters in March, and the first reviews for the sequel are glowing. The movie sees the return of the first installment’s director, Denis Villeneuve, who is known for helming movies such as Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival. Villeneuve has also worked with Jake Gyllenhaal on multiple projects, including Enemy and Prisoners, which were both released in 2013. The duo was supposed to reunite for the upcoming miniseries, The Son, but Villeneuve recently revealed to Verdens Gang that he has stepped away from the project.

“No, it’s, it’s a project that I absolutely love. And I love the book. I love that writer, very strong writer. And the thing is that, I brought this project to do a miniseries because I thought that to bring it, to try to protect all the elements of the book, it was too much for a feature film,” Villeneuve explained. “But I did feel that the adaptation we’ve made – which, I think the screenplays were excellent, but far away from my sensibility.”

“I hope this will find the light of the day. I think, I hope it will happen, but directed by someone else,” the director added. 

The Son was first announced as a series by HBO in 2020, and not much news about the project has been released since. The Oslo-set revenge story is being executive produced by Riva Marker of Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories and Kilter Films’ Athena Wickham. Bold Films’ David Litvak, Gary Michael Walters, Michel Litvak, and Svetlana Metkina are also executive producers alongside Jo Nesbø and Niclas Salomonsson. Nine Stories Productions, Kilter Films, and Bold Films are set to produce the project in association with Warner Bros. Television (via The Wrap). 

Update: ComicBook has learned that Jake Gyllenhaal is also no longer attached to The Son. 

What Is Dune: Part Two About?

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. 

In addition to  Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, Dune: Part Two sees the return of Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonnen, and Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban. New cast members include Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, and Christopher Walker as Emperor Shaddam IV. 

“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 in a 2021 interview. “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.”

Dune: Part Two is scheduled to be released on March 1st. Stay tuned for more information about The Son.