Berg Will Helm “Dune” Remake

Back in December 2007 we told you that actor-turned director Peter Berg was rumored to be in negotiations to direct another new film version of Frank Herbert’s “Dune.” We even went out on a limb and said, that “He will!” be helming the project.

Well, now the official word has come down the pike and Berg will be directing “Dune” for Paramount Pictures.

The rights were finally obtained from the Herbert estate after a grueling year of negotiations on the part of producer Kevin Misher.

“Dune” has seen two major re-enactments before. One for the big screen in 1984 from David Lynch. This version took quite a few liberties with Herbert’s original 1965 novel. The other was one that followed the book a tad closer. It was able to do so because it didn’t limit itself to a 2-hr feature film format as Lynch did, but became a 6-hr miniseries on the SCI FI Channel and starred Academy Award winner William Hurt.

Joining the production staff will be Richard Rubenstein, currently involved with the SF Fox series “New Amsterdam” and most noted for producing SCI FI Channel’s “Children of Dune” and 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead.”

Paramount will not be taking the iconic Herbert work back to the small screen but intends to make it into another feature length film.

Peter Berg has been keeping busy since his directorial debut with Dwyane Johnson starrer “Rundown.” He directed the critically acclaimed film “The Kingdom” starring Academy Award winners Jaime Foxx and Chris Cooper, is currently still in post-production with the new Will Smith SF film “Hancock” and has just signed on to direct “Bran Mak Morn,” a fantasy film scheduled for release sometime in 2010. He is still involved with small screen directing as well, helming several episodes of the recently renewed “Friday Night Lights.”

[Pictured above: Berg (lt) setting up a scene with Jamie Foxx (rt) in “The Kingdom”–click to enlarge]