Legendary Entertainment has acquired the rights to Frank Herbert’s Dune. Learn the details about Legendary’s Dune movie, after the jump.

Legendary and the Frank Herbert estate have reached an agreement which includes both the film and television motion picture rights to the classic sci-fi novel Dune. The agreement allows Legendary and Universal Pictures to develop film and television projects based on the franchise for a global audience.

Set in the distant future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.

Often referred to as the science fiction version of Lord of the Rings, the book won Hugo and Nebula Awards and is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written.

David Lynch originally brought Frank Herbert’s classic to the big screen in 1984. The film has become a cult favorite in recent years despite the polarized response to the movie, often described as incomprehensible to those who had not read the book series, yet different enough to piss off fans of the source material. Dune has a tremendous legacy and influence on science fiction movies, notably Star Wars and The Matrix.

John Harrison later adapted the book for a 2000 sci-fi channel miniseries. A decade or so ago, Paramount tried to bring the property back to the big screen with director Peter Berg. That filmmaker later dropped out of the project, citing that it wouldn’t be the right film for him. He was replaced with Pierre Morel, but that filmmaker also left the project, and it fell into development hell.

In September, Arrival/Blade Runner 2029 director Denis Villeneuve expressed an interest in directing a remake to Dune. I wonder if he might be involved somehow.

The full press release follows:

LEGENDARY ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO FRANK HERBERT’S CLASSIC SCI-FI NOVEL DUNE

Burbank, CA – November 21, 2016 – Legendary and the Frank Herbert estate have reached an agreement granting the production entity the film and television motion picture rights to the beloved novel DUNE, one of the most revered science fiction novels of all time. The agreement calls for the development and production of possible film and television projects for a global audience. The projects would be produced by Thomas Tull, Mary Parent and Cale Boyter, with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert serving as executive producers.

Set in the distant future, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides whose family accepts control of the desert planet Arrakis. As the only producer of a highly valuable resource, control of Arrakis is highly contested among the noble families. After Paul and his family are betrayed, the story explores themes of politics, religion, and man’s relationship to nature as Paul leads a rebellion to restore his family’s control of Arrakis.

Dune has long been considered the crown jewel of science fiction properties. Its legacy and influence is witnessed in everything from STAR WARS to THE MATRIX and often referred to as the science fiction version of LORD OF THE RINGS with its sprawling world and multi-dimensional politics.

The agreement was negotiated by Mike Ross and Jen Grazier on behalf of Legendary and Marcy Morris and Barry Tyerman of JTWAMMK on behalf of the Herbert family.

About Legendary Entertainment

Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $13 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com