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John Harrison — the screenwriter and co-producer who adapted Frank Herbert's novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune into SCI FI's new, three-part epic miniseries event Children of Dune — is back to answer your questions about his adaptation of Herbert's classic novels and about the production itself.
Do you have a question for John Harrison about Frank Herbert's Children of Dune? E-mail it to askjohnharrison@www.scifi.com and he might answer it here! John has agreed to try to answer at least one question per week up until the premiere of Children of Dune on Sunday, March 16, at 9PM ET/PT.
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January 31, 2003
What books does Children of Dune cover? Why not call it Dune Messiah?
After the enormous success of SCI FI's first Frank Herbert's Dune miniseries, SCI FI asked Richard Rubinstein and me to come up with a proposal for another. After a lot of thought and conversation, it seemed that the next books in Frank Herbert's epic presented unique adaptation opportunities as well as problems.
Dune Messiah by itself did not resolve completely enough to stand on its own; it set the stage for Children of Dune. But that third book couldn't be the basis for a new miniseries without the precedent of Dune Messiah. So I decided we should combine both books and create a continuation of the first miniseries. Simply put, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune would complete the saga of Muad'Dib and set the stage for what was to come.
There is a significant passage in Frank Herbert's Dune, spoken by Reverend Mother Ramallo, in which she tells Paul that "when religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows." Of course she means Muad'Dib — he is the whirlwind. As Dune fans know, in Dune Messiah he is tortured by what that whirlwind has meant, of what has become of his revolution. And, as students of history, we know that "every revolution contains the seeds of its own destruction." In Children of Dune, those seeds have started to bloom. But there is an answer, a road that Muad'dib was unable or unwilling to take: the Golden Path. By the end of Children of Dune, Muad'dib's son, Leto II, is willing to go down that path.
So I decided to combine both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune into one seamless narrative that would complete this chapter of the Atreides on Arrakis and set the stage for the next 3,000-year era, the Golden Path, and the reign of the God Emperor.
03.11.03 – How are you going to bring the Baron into play in the movie? Is he going to be a ghost or just a voice in Alia's head?
03.11.03 – How did you incorporate Frank Herbert's themes from the books without putting in your own views?
03.04.03 – Will Children of Dune stand alone for someone who has not seen [the first] Dune [miniseries] or read the books?
03.04.03 – Have you ever felt overwhelmed by translating all that is happening in the Dune story?
02.25.03 – Why are Ghanima and Leto II so old in the new miniseries?
02.25.03 – What special effects can we expect to see in the new miniseries? Will they be different from those in the first miniseries?
02.18.03 – In the book there is a scene in which a naked Alia fights the practice drone. Is this a part of your adaptation?
02.18.03 – Did you constrain your adaptation of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune according to what you knew would be possible to realize on a miniseries budget?
02.12.03 – How difficult was it for you to translate Duncan's relationship with Paul from Dune Messiah and his relationship with Alia from Children of Dune?
02.12.03 – If you were asked to adapt the other Dune novels, would you do it?
01.31.03 – How are you handling Princess Irulan in this miniseries?
01.31.03 – How closely will Children of Dune follow the books it's based upon?
01.31.03 – What books does Children of Dune cover? Why not call it Dune Messiah?
Send your questions to askjohnharrison@www.scifi.com
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The fine print: Because of John's busy schedule, the posting time and date of the answers may vary, and John may be unavailable some weeks. Unless otherwise stated we will assume we have permission to post the name and e-mail address of those who have submitted questions.
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