Dune is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch, based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name. The film stars Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides, and includes an ensemble of well-known American and European actors in supporting roles, including Sting, Jose Ferrer, Virginia Madsen, Linda Hunt, Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow, Siān Phillips and Jürgen Prochnow, among others. It was filmed at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City and included a soundtrack by the band Toto. As in the novel, the central plot concerns a young man foretold in prophecy as the "Kwisatz Haderach" who will protect the titular desert planet from the malevolent House Harkonnen and save the universe from evil.
After the success of the novel, attempts to adapt Dune for a film began as early as 1971. A lengthy process of what is known in the film industry as development hell followed throughout the 1970s, during which directors such as David Lean, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Ridley Scott were considered. In 1981, David Lynch was hired as director by executive producer Dino De Laurentiis.
