Denis Villeneuve Reveals Why He Wanted to Focus on the Women of Dune

There is little doubt that Dune is Paul Atreides' story but Denis Villeneuve had other plans for his film adaptation. The filmmaker has admitted that he wanted to put the focus on the important women in Frank Herbert's book and explains how he made it happen.

Villeneuve recently spoke to Empire about his plans for Dune, revealing that he wanted the film to show the feminine yet strong side of the story.

"For me, it was important to bring more femininity to the story. I am fascinated by the relationship of femininity and power, the place of women in society," Villeneuve said. He then mentions that the screenwriter had asked him what he wanted for the screenplay.

"Eric Roth said, 'If you had one aspect of the novel you would like me to focus on, what would it be?' I said, 'The women,'" Villeneuve said.

The Blade Runner 2049 director was also pointed out that it was a woman who made Paul's story a reality.

"The entire story unfolds because of Lady Jessica, because of a decision she made to give birth to Paul instead of a girl [via a breeding programme]. She's a fascinating character, one of the most influential and most interesting in the novel," Villeneuve said.

That does make sense and it has been confirmed that Rebecca Ferguson's version of the character will be more powerful in the film. Needless to say, we can't wait to see how the film honors the women of the story.

Villeneuve also intends to keep focusing on the women in the sequel. The director has previously confirmed that the second Dune film will be told from Chani's perspective. This means that Zendaya's character could play a larger role than Timothee Chalamet's Paul.

Dune is scheduled for release on October 22, 2021.

Related: Dune is Dominating International Box Office with Massive $100M Haul