Dune Book Bought For Millions By People Who Don't Understand Movie Rights
A group of Twitter users appear to have purchased a copy of Dune for over $3 million in a misguided effort to acquire the copyright to the novel. Dune, Frank Herbert's 1965 science-fiction novel which follows main character Paul Atreides on a galaxy-changing journey on the planet Arrakis, found new popularity in 2021, thanks to director Denis Villeneuve's film adaptation, which hit theaters and HBO Max on October 21, 2021.
Dune'spolitical intrigue, thrilling action sequences, and awe-inspiring visual language made Villenueve's film a critical and commercial hit. The movie has grossed $397 million worldwide, and a sequel that will cover the second half of the novel is scheduled to hit theaters in 2023. The novel has been adapted to screen multiple times since it was first published, with director David Lynch's 1984 film as well as a 2000 miniseries created by John Harrison preceding the latest movie. Filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky attempted to adapt Dune to the big screen in the 1970s, a project that was ultimately never produced. Jodorowsky did produce a massive film «bible» to pitch his concept for adapting Herbert's detailed world to film studios. While the pitch book is available to read online for free, it seems that few physical copies of Jodorowsky's Dune concept exist.
Related: Why Dune's Sequels Need To Reverse The First Movie's Best Death Scene
In November 2021, a group of Twitter users under the handle @TheSpiceDAO won a Christie's auction to purchase one of these rare pitch books for a whopping €2.66 million — just over $3 million in American dollars. Seemingly, the group went to this extreme (the asking price was originally €25,000 - €30,000) mistakenly believing they can now produce their own Dune content.
Read more on screenrant.com
