THE SLEEPY SMILEY FACE HAS AWOKEN!

You know what happens on Twitter when you ask Muad'Dib himself to explain Dune? This:

Brilliant!

TRAILER: Documentary on Jodorowsky's DUNE is finally here!

The long-in-production documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky's imagining of Dune is finally here! Judging by the trailer, the filmmaker's infectious enthusiasm and wildly ambitous vision for the film is even more heartbreaking and fascinating than previously hinted.

I cannot wait to learn more about how the film nearly came together with some of the biggest names in science fiction: Moebius, H.R. Giger, Chris Foss, Dan O'Bannon--not to mention Salvador Dali and Orson Welles. Here's the trailer:



Here's a few pieces of concept art from the stalled production (click to enlarge):

Emperor's palace, ornithopter and spaceships by Chris Foss

 

 

Sandworm concept by H. R. Giger

 

 

Jean Giraud, a.k.a. "Moebius" character designs

 

 

 

 

 

 

H.R. Giger's work on Alien is apparent in his organic designs for this film. Moebius used the work he did on Dune as inspiration for his original comic, The Incal and later Metabarons (thanks for that tidbit Trey, I later found a copy of The Incal and loved it!).

You can even trace some aesthetic DNA from Jodorowsky's Dune exploits all the way to The Fifth Element, where Moebius' work was eventually captured on screen (with or without his permission, but that's another story).

The big question surrounding this film is whether Jodorowsky would have changed the direction
of science fiction in film, had it debuted before Star Wars as planned. What do you think?

• Jodoworsky's Dune covered previously on Exonauts
• Official website for Jodorowsky's Dune
• Dune fan site for more behind the scenes info

Jean Girard "Moebius" 1938 - 2012

Wow, not even a week after losing Ralph McQuarrie and another sci-fi artist is gone. Jean Henri Gaston Giraud "Moebius" was an icon in the comics industry. By all accounts, he was likely one of--if not the most celebrated comic illustrator(s) in a commercial sense as well as artistic influence. 

If you've seen (and loved) Blade Runner, Tron, Alien, The Fifth Element, not to mention the animated films of Rene Laloux (Les Maîtres du temps and Gandahar), then you've been witness to the collaborations with filmmakers. Perhaps the partnership for which he'll always be associated is the one with filmmaker, comic book writer Alejandro Jodoworsky. Their most famous comic book collaboration was The Incal, oft-cited as a science fiction masterpiece, it's set in a massively overpopulated future and touches on themes of high-technology, religion, and commentary (satire mostly).

Last fall on a trip to Madison, WI, my wife and I stopped in a tiny comic shop on Monroe Street and I picked up a hardbound collected edition--their last copy of a sold out print run. I splurged and it quickly became one of my most prized tomes. (Feel free to mention your favorite Moebius work in the comments.)

The other project, which has become somewhat of a legendary "what if it had been made?" status is Jodoworsky's Dune film. Moebius, along with other great artists like H.R Giger, rendered some of the most unique and breathtaking concept illustrations. Had it been realized on film in the scale and scope Jodoworsky intended the film might have changed the course of modern science fiction, as it was to release before Star Wars. When the film fell apart, Moebius went on to do concept work for handful of other films (The Empire Stikes Back and Alien included). 

Though his vision was in a state of irreversible decline the last few years, he was still working. I'm still trying to figure out a way to process it, because--and I say this without irony or hyperbole--there are two periods in the world arena of comics: with Moebius, and without. 


And sadly, we're now living in the Post-Moebius Era. 




More remembrances:

• Robot 6 on Comic Book Resources
• Comics Beat

THIS is the Star Wars revamp we NEEDED!

Harrison Ford is cool, but no one is more badass than Steve McQueen accompanied by A BEAR.

Also, I'm actually quite depressed that this prequel didn't happen:

Slightly more depressed at the thought of this one as a possibility. Though Jan Michael Vincent is pretty badass.

Bonus: DUNE-PUNK!

Via artist Sean Hartter, check out the rest of his alternate universe movie poster creations.

P.S. the Death Star makes me giggle.

What if: Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune of the 70s

I think it's almost redundant to put he term "avant garde" before Alejandro Jodorowsky's name, but one thing's for sure--his version of Dune would have been a visual spectacle that David Lynch would have never dreamed.

The above clip is from an upcoming documentary on Jodorowsky's never filmed version of the Dune saga. Call it: Galáctica Fantástico!

Here's a few more details over at Twitch Film in case you've never heard about this incredible, missed opportunity in cinema.

Oh, and a few of Moebius' illustrations (that's right, Moebius!) from the pre-production process that never got past the initial stages:

Duneinfo.com has more in-depth info on Jodorowsky's abandoned Dune.

Appendix N for Sci Fi (Circa 1980s)

D&D had it's Appendix N--it's suggested reading for further inspiration--which was loaded with Sword & Sorcery classics from the pulp era and beyond. Grognardia has done a wonderful job of highlighting those books. I wondered if TSR's Star Frontiers had an equivalent a while back while I was flipping through the manuals I'd bought off eBay. Low and behold--it did! Though it wasn't an official appendix, it was listed under the title "READING FOR FUN AND IDEAS". The list is filled with great stuff, but its also dated.

Following are the titles listed on the back cover of the Expanded Game Rules, from the first printing of July 1982:

NON-FICTION:

• Asimov, Isaac—Extraterrestrial Civilizations
• Bylinsky, Gene—Life in Darwin's Universe
• Dole, Robert—Habitable Planets for Man
• Feinberg, Gerald and Robert Shapiro—Life Beyond Earth: An Intelligent Earthling's Guide to Life in the Universe

FICTION

• Anthony, Piers—Macroscope
• Anderson, Poul—Ensign Flandry series
• Asimov, Isaac—Foundation trilogy: I, Robot; The Gods Themselves
• Aspirin, Robert—The Cold-Cash War
• Bester, Alfred—The Stars, My Destination
• Blish, James—Cities in Flight
• Bradbury, Ray—The Martian Chronicles
• Brown, Frederick—What Mad Universe
• Brunner, John—Stand on Zanzibar
• Budrys, Algis—Rogue Moon
• Chandler, Bertram A.—Commodore Grimes series
• Clarke, Arthur C.—Rendezvous with Rama; The Fountains of Paradise
• Clement, Hal—Mission of Gravity; Close to Critical; The Nitrogen Fix
• de Camp, L. Sprague—Krishna series
• Dick, Philip K.—Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
• Dickson, Gordon R.—Dorsai series
• Drake, David—Hammer's Slammers
• Farmer, Philip Jose—Riverworld series
• Garrett, Randall—Starship Death
• Goulart, Ron—many short novels
• Haldeman, Joe—The Forever War
• Hansen, Karl—War Games
• Harrison, Harry—Bill, The Galactic Hero; The Stainless Steel Rat; Deathworld series
• Heinlein, Robert—Starship Troopers; The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
• Herbert, Frank—Dune series
• Laumer, Keith—A Plague of Demons; Retief series; Bolo series
• LeGuin, Ursula—The Left Hand of Darkness
• Lem, Stanislaw—Solaris; The Cyberiad
• Longyear, Barry—Circus World
• Niven, Larry—Ringworld; Ringworld Engineers; Tales of Known Space
• Niven, Larry and Jerry Pournelle—The Mote in God's Eye
• Norton, Andre—Star Rangers
• Pohl, Frederick—Gateway
• Pournelle, Jerry—The Mercenary
• Russel, Eric Frank—The Great Explosion
• Saberhagen, Fred—Berserker series
• Silverberg, Robert—The Man in the Maze
• Simak, Clifford D.—City
• Smith, E. E.—Triplanetary; Space Patrol; others in the Lensmen series
• Stapleton, Olaf—Last and First Men
• Vance, Jack—Big Planet; The Grey Prince; Tschai, Planet of Adventure series; Demon Princes series
• Van Vogt, A. E.—The Weapons Shops of Isher; The Silkie; Voyage of the Space Beagle
• Varley, John—The Persistence of Vision
• Zelazny, Roger—Lord of Light

I can't say I've read even a fraction of these and I'm trying to track down several more for my collection. There's even more not on the list that I do own, that I'd probably consider "reference" when I think of sci-fi in general. So gentle reader, what's on your list of go-to science fiction? Anything new? How about long forgotten? Or off the beaten path?

Leave a few of your own in the comments. (Movies, comics, whatever--it's all acceptable!)