As a big Dune fan, I’m guardedly excited about the news that we’re getting a new movie version of the classic sci-fi book, directed by Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights).

On one hand, the book seems more relevant than ever: it has a lot to say about ecology and the environment and the main plot centers around politicians, greedy businessmen, religious types and guerillas fighting for control of a vital substance—called ’spice’ in the book, but we might as well call it oil—in the desert, no less.

On the other hand, the two existing movie versions failed, each in their own ways: David Lynch’s cult-classic 1984 version had style to spare and not-terrible performances but took major, inforgivable detours from the book; the Sci-Fi Channel’s oddly generic six-part mini-series, which aired in 2000, looked like it was made in a sandbox, and featured wooden performances from Alec Newman as Paul and a supporting cast with thick Czech accents.

I’m not sure what director Peter Berg, who will tackle the new version, will bring to the table, other than action-movie chops. He’s promised a film that’s faithful to the book, but a lot more than that is needed to sucessfully blend author Frank Herbert’s story of a high-stakes politics and culture war, with the poignant, tragic family drama that’s also at the core of the book. It’s the kind of project that would have been perfect for Peter Jackson, and his writing team of Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, who did so many things well in The Lord of the Rings. Hope Berg is as ambitious as they, or at least, keeps them on speed dial.

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