Dead movie marketing

The marketing primer for the upcoming Dune adaptation was a wee bit triggering. Via Vanity Fair:

For Villeneuve, this 55-year-old story about a planet being mined to death was not merely a space adventure, but a prophecy. “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt,” he says. “That’s why I think that Dune, this book, was written in the 20th century. It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation—the overexploitation—of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”

In an intriguing change to the source material, Villeneuve has also updated Dr. Liet Kynes, the leading ecologist on Arrakis and an independent power broker amid the various warring factions. Although always depicted as a white man, the character is now played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One), a black woman. “What Denis had stated to me was there was a lack of female characters in his cast, and he had always been very feminist, pro-women, and wanted to write the role for a woman,” Duncan-Brewster says. “This human being manages to basically keep the peace amongst many people. Women are very good at that, so why can’t Kynes be a woman? Why shouldn’t Kynes be a woman?”

I'm conflicted. On the one hand, I don't think they could have picked anyone better to helm a Dune adaptation than Denis Villeneuve, who directed Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. On the other hand, changing a minor character's age, gender, and race for no good reason, and relating the plot to youth activism are mischievious liberties to take with the source material.

Then again, maybe Warner Brothers knows something I don't. The great YouTube channel Midnight's Edge posted a video about this. They posit WB is marketing this movie for favorable press coverage, and that the red flags in the Vanity Fair piece are tactical virtue signals to the entertainment media.

The logic behind this strategy is sound, if it works. Fans of the book(s) might help this movie lose WB $50-100 million. Normies could help make it a modest success. To put meat in the seats, you need the media on your side to create positive impressions among the public. That includes pandering to SJW-run industry rags like Vanity Fair. So the argument goes.

The last time I heard this theory floated about a movie's woke marketing was last spring, with Terminator: Dark Fate. The marketing for that movie was cartoonish, and made me wonder whether I was living in a simulation. By all accounts the new Terminator sucked, and it lost a ton of money to boot. The latter result you can blame on the marketing more than on the movie itself.

Is the probability WB settled on a disproven marketing strategy higher or lower than the probability Villeneuve sprayed SJW graffiti all over his movie? I'd say higher. Villeneuve's fealty to the aesthetics and worldbuilding of the original Blade Runner has earned him the benefit of the doubt.

It's Dune and it's Villeneuve, so I'll probably see it no matter what turn the marketing takes. Usually I couldn't care less about the box office, but this is a two-movie proposition, contingent on the first movie turning a profit.

Even if it's a good and faithful adaptation, I don't see a sequel happening. Normies are attracted to fun, upbeat movies. The production stills from Dune look dark and gloomy, which may match the tone of the book, but limit audience appeal. The aesthetics are an improvement on the ugly 1984 adaptation, but that's not enough to put meat in the seats.

Are you tired of Hollywood mistreating your favorite IPs? Why not enjoy something they'll never adapt! You can start with my space adventure book, Seeds of Calamity. I've made the first 4 chapters available for free. If it piques your interest, get yourself a copy at Amazon.

As always, let me know what you think in the comments. I'll reply to you as soon as I can.