The sleeper has awakened! In advance of director Denis Villenueve’s 2020 adaptation of Dune, Legendary Entertainment and Herbert Properties struck a licensing agreement with award-winning game publisher Gale Force Nine for a series of tabletop games inspired by the iconic works of Frank Herbert and the heirs to his expansive creative empire.
Though the first of two films Villenueve is making will cover only half of Herbert’s original novel, Gale Force Nine announced plans Tuesday to create games “drawing from the full scope of the Dune franchise,” according to a press release. These will include “multiple direct tie-ins” to the film, which will no doubt offer fans–and more likely, entertainment reporters–ample opportunities to speculate about characters, plot and mythology of Villenueve’s work before it hits screens two years from now.
The press release doesn’t offer details about any of the games, but they’re not the first to be created around Herbert’s iconic property. Avalon Hill first created a Dune board game in 1979, and Parker Brothers followed suit in 1984, commemorating the release of David Lynch’s film. Several video games and a role-playing game were created in the 1990s and early 2000s as well.
There’s no indication if the line will reference any of the previous adaptations of Herbert’s works, but certainly in the wake of the release of Jodorowsky’s Dune, the cult filmmaker’s thousands of concept drawings would undoubtedly provide some great design inspirations. Nevertheless, it sounds as if Gale Force’s games may explore specific or more detailed components of the book’s mythology, perhaps enabling fans to hone their control of the sandworms, battle adversaries using a Holtzman shield, or even take the Gom Jabbar test–though a mysterious box that makes players’ hands seem like they’re in intense pain might be a better idea in fiction than reality.
The entire line, which will include board and miniature games, is scheduled for consumer release just before Villenueve’s Dune hits theaters in 2020.
Which part of Dune mythology do you think would make a great game? If you think you’re worthy of the power of Muad’Dib, sound off in the comments with your opinion below!
Images: Universal
Editor’s note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Entertainment.
