This six-hour interplanetary epic is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed mini-series - which previously aired on the Sci-Fi Channel - and begins twelve years on from its predecessor with the House of Atreides now ruling Dune's arid planet, Arrakis. Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon stars as Princess Wensicia, heading a stellar cast, some of which make a welcome return to earlier roles including Alec Newman as Paul Atreides, Julie Cox as Irulan Atreides, Ian McNeice starring once again as Baron Harkonnen and P.H. Moriarty returns to the role of Gurney Halleck.
Additions to the original cast include a host of prolific stage/film actors including Edward Atterton (The Man In The Iron Mask), Steven Berkoff (The Krays) and Star Trek Voyager's Borg Queen Alice Krige.
| Title: | Frank Herbert's Children of Dune | |
| Release Date: | 22nd September 2003 | |
| Running Time: | 4 hours and 12 minutes |
DVD also has a 13-minute 'making-of' |
| Certificate: | 12 | |
| Catalogue Number: | VHS: 504667 3353 | DVD: 504 667 3352 |
| Retail Price: | VHS: £34.99 | DVD: £39.99 |
A battle raged for twelve years whilst desert-dweller Paul Maud'dib Atreides's Freman Jihad travelled the universe destroying the remaining Old Imperial armies. Maud'dib's rule saw planets colonized one-by-one, though amid the anarchy, the House of Atreides emerged as a superpower of Dune's planet Arrakis. However, the rule of the government is not wholly universal, there are numerous corrupt adversaries, the greatest being the fallen Baron Harkonnen who strives to regain control of his old Empire, Dune, with it's mystifying life-force, and all it symbolizes to the galactic order.
Harkonnen aside, a treacherous threat is about to emerge from within the House of Atreides as the number of clandestine enemies increases. Maud'dib believes that his sole chance of safeguarding his family's sovereignty is his newborn twins born of his concubine, Chiani. Soon, his son Leto will be heir to Dune, a most unimaginable power. The son will be responsible for demystifying his father's legacy, destroying the old regime in order to reinstate peace in the Empire. The definitive war has yet to be waged and will see the Children of Atriedes – the Children of Dune – trapped amid a future so volatile, yet of their families very own creation.
Stunning effects, incredible battles, high court intrigue with both theological and ecological theories, Frank Herbert's visual, award-winning opus reinvents the mythology of fantasy-fiction. This fantastical saga challenges the intellectual puzzle of the future of humanity - as we know it - raises the bar and unveils breathtaking sf cinematography.
