Pierre Morel to Direct Dune

[Lustful Butchery]

He's the replacement director after Peter Berg exit the film last year.

http://weblogs.variety.com/bfdealmemo/2010/01/morel-climbs-aboard-dune.html

Paramount Pictures has set Pierre Morel to direct “Dune,†the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi classic novel.

Morel, who last directed the action hit “Taken,†has signed a deal with the studio and will work toward getting the script right. Pic is one of the biggest priorities on the slate of Par Motion Picture Group prexy Adam Goodman.

Kevin Misher’s Misher Films will produce with New Amsterdam’s Richard Rubenstein, who produced the telepic “Dune†and the sequel “Children of Dune.â€

Pic had been developed by Peter Berg, who exited when he committed to Universal’s “Battleship,†based on the Hasbro naval combat board game. Universal set a July 1, 2011 release for that film and committed to follow with Berg’s passion project, the Afghan was drama “Lone Survivor.†Those back-to-back directing gigs will keep Berg busy for at least two years.

Berg developed a “Dune†draft with Josh Zetumer, the script who separately has been scripting the fourth installment of “The Bourne Identity†for Universal. Paramount will work off Zetumer’s draft, but the studio will secure another writer shortly.

“Dune†was first turned into a film by David Lynch, whose 1984 effort was not a financial success. Herbert’s novel—about an intergalactic struggle to control the supply of a valuable spice found only on the remote desert planet Arrakis—remains the biggest selling sci fi novel and it’s still enormously popular. Morel, for instance, is a long time fan who brought his well-worn copy of the novel with him to meetings at Paramount, sources said.

The studio will begin doing R&D work on a picture that promises to be pricey.

Deal makes “Dune†a candidate to be the next directing assignment for Morel, who is also in early stage development on a sequel to “Taken.†He is also developing “Pursuit,†an action thriller at Universal based on the exploits of conflict photographer Jason Howe. Howe fell in love with a woman while on assignment in Colombia, only to discover she was an assassin. Morel most recently wrapped the John Travolta-starrer âœFrom Paris with Love.†He is repped by WME and Artist Talent Management.