Now that he has officially endeared himself to many diehard science fiction fans with his well-received take on Dune, director Denis Villeneuve has lined up another adaptation of a beloved novel from the same genre. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Villeneuve has been hired for a big-screen version of Rendezvous With Rama, Arthur C. Clarke’s 1973 book about space explorers trying to meet an alien starship in the 2130s. The rights to the novel were previously held by actor Morgan Freeman, who is onboard as a producer.
Clarke’s most famous work is probably 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was made into a 1968 movie by Stanley Kubrick. A film of Rendezvous With Rama has been in development for nearly two decades, and David Fincher was at one point attached to direct. Now, Alcon Entertainment has the reins, with its co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove producing, alongside Freeman and Lori McCreary for Revelations Entertainment.
Johnson and Kosove shared that “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. 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.
” Alcon previously collaborated with Villeneuve on Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049.
Villeneuve, who earned an Oscar nomination in 2016 for directing another film involving life from other planets, Arrival, looks to be headed for more recognition this year for Dune, which has amassed solid reviews and a $390 worldwide box office take, officially ranking it in the top ten highest-grossing films of 2021 as of this writing. Villeneuve has been nominated by a number of groups and guilds for his direction and his work on the screenplay. A sequel, Dune: Part Two, is already in the works with Villeneuve returning, and he will also direct episodes of Dune: The Sisterhood, a prequel series for HBO Max.