Art does not exist in a vacuum. But how much imitation is too much?
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Alamy)
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” revived a box office slog at the beginning of March and has been heralded as a generally impressive book-to-film translation. Adapting the first installment in Frank Herbert’s six-part science fiction series about political struggles on a desert planet proved to be a righteous challenge. But the epic cinematic journey likely appeared strikingly familiar to “Star Wars” fans, seeing as George Lucas’ massively successful film franchise is also a sci-fi series about political struggles partially set on a desert planet. As it turns out, that is no accident. Quite a few people believe that “Star Wars” ripped off Herbert’s “Dune” universe — including Herbert himself.
The proof is in the similarities
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To continue reading this article…
Create a free account
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Already have an account? Sign in
Subscribe to The Week
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Unlimited website access is included with Digital and Print + Digital subscriptions.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us