News

Actor Val Kilmer passed away on April 1, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of an extremely well-received filmography. Kilmer appeared in blockbuster movies such as Top Gun and Batman Forever, seeing a meteoric rise in Hollywood during the 1990s.

However, in the 1980s, Kilmer was a bit of an unknown commodity, especially when he tested for the role of Paul Atreides. He was considered for David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune, long before Timothée Chalamet’s more modern take on the character.

Val Kilmer on Conan (Credit: TBS).

Despite being a frontrunner for the role, Kilmer eventually lost to Kyle MacLachlan, who made his big-screen debut with the film. As a result, fans must be curious to know why Kilmer missed out, and reports alleged it was because of one facial feature. Here is everything you need to know about Val Kilmer’s audition for Dune.

Val Kilmer allegedly lost the lead...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

By now, everybody knows there are a lot of things wrong with "Dune" 1984. The film has lived in a special kind of infamy since David Lynch and Universal Pictures unleashed it upon the world, when the $40 million sci-fi epic bombed at the box office and courted nothing but critical scorn. Still, there are those who argue that "Dune" is much better than its reputation suggests, and Denis Villeneuve's recent big-screen treatment of Frank Herbert's novel has given rise to plenty of "Dune" 1984 revisionism.

One of the most interesting things about Lynch's ill-fated film, however, isn't necessarily how critics and audiences overlooked its many charms back in 1984, but how many what-ifs surrounded the project. The amount of directors in line to shoot this movie was, for example, frankly dizzying, with everyone from Ridley Scott to David Lean circling the project.

Director Denis Villeneuve has had a lot of success with his recent Dune movies, which stars Timothée Chalamet as lead charater Paul Atreides. But Villeneuve wasn't the first person to tackle this story. David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Dune is a cinematic anomaly that has long intrigued fans and critics alike, myself included. Known for its sprawling deserts, massive sandworms, and bizarre imagery such as Guild Navigators floating in spice-induced fog, the film stands as a polarizing entry in Lynch's filmography when compared to entries such as Blue Velvet or even Twin Peaks.

Despite its status as a commercial and critical failure, the 1984 Dune movie has garnered a cult following over the years. Now, film writer Max Evry’s book, A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History, offers a detailed exploration of this eccentric project, repositioning the film within the broader landscape of science fiction cinema.

The Dune franchise has become a spectacular piece of cinema with Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert novels. Starring Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh among so many other actors, the expected trilogy is already two movies down, with one more in the works. But before Villeneuve changed people’s mind about the spice fields of Arrakis and the Empire, there were a few other tries to bring this story to life.

Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler in Dune: Part Two | Legendary Pictures

The most successful of them, it terms of the audience getting a full length movie, was the one made by David Lynch. The 1984 adaptation of Dune was a critical and commercial failure, becoming one of the few films in David Lynch’s career that was not accepted by the people. As film writer Max Evry once said, it was the “black sheep of David Lynch’s filmography.

David Lynch's "Dune" was mostly seen as a misstep for the celebrated director back in 1984. As we gear up for the bleak blockbuster that is Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two," Lynch's "Dune" now occupies an unusual space in the public consciousness — somewhere between cult classic and historic blunder. There are undoubtedly plenty of things wrong with "Dune" 1984, and the film suffered a brutal critical and commercial reception. But forty years after Lynch's $40 million spectacle bombed at the box office, some have come to see the films' positives, arguing that "Dune" 1984 is better than its reputation suggests.

Which, as it happens, is a perfectly reasonable point of view. Aside from the impressive set and costume design, "Dune" actually featured some pretty good visual effects for the time. What's more, the casting was excellent. Lynch may have ruthlessly denied Glenn Close for a part in "Dune," but luckily for him,...

After Risky Business, Tom Cruise was catapulted into the spotlight. Sure, there was Taps and The Outsiders, but once he slid across the floor in his skivvies, he was it. And he could choose any project he wanted, including a picture with David Lynch. As it turns out, Tom Cruise was in contention for the role of Paul Atreides in 1984’s Dune but couldn’t quite grasp Frank Herbert’s language.

As detailed in Max Evry’s oral history A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune, Tom Cruise could have led the sci-fi flop instead of, you know, headlining Top Gun and shooting pool with Paul Newman. According to Everett McGill, who played Fremen leader Stilgar, “I have a faint recollection that Tom Cruise had some difficulty with the language during his screen test.” Sean Young, who played Chani, delivered an odd cheapshot, saying, “Maybe they hadn’t gotten...

After the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two got pushed to March 15, 2024, fans of Frank Herbert’s spice-infused sci-fi series have been eager for more details about the upcoming sequel. While I don’t have any fresh information about the sequel’s release, fascinating factoids about David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation are making the rounds. In a lengthy article published by Wired, the outlet returns to 1984 for the turbulent Dune promotional tour and all the hostile vibes that come with it.

With a significant rollout planned for Lynch’s version, Dune booked 1,700 screens worldwide and four gala premieres in Washington DC, Los Angeles, Miami, and London. According to Wired, the December 4 DC premiere resulted in Dune author Frank Herbert and David Lynch getting invited to the White House for dinner with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. The presidential couple told Herbert they enjoyed the film, though...

"A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune" chronicles the struggles and challenges behind the making of Lynch's polarizing adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic novel. The book features interviews with cast and crew members, including Zach Galligan and Virginia Madsen, who reflect on the casting process and the intense pressure of auditioning for the lead role in such a high-profile project. This comprehensive oral history provides an in-depth exploration of the highs and lows of the adaptation and is a must-read for fans of Lynch's Dune and those interested in the behind-the-scenes of the movie's troubled production.

David Lynch's polarizing adaptation of Dune is getting an extensive behind-the-scenes chronicling in A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. An Oral History. Long before Denis Villeneuve scored widespread acclaim for his take on the material, Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic novel made its way to the screen with the 1984 movie...

I always love a good “what if” when it comes to casting. What if Sean Conner didn’t turn down the role of Gandolf? What if Tom Selleck was Indiana Jones? And what if Val Kilmer was Paud Atreides in David Lynch’s Dune?

Although David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune was a critical and commercial disaster upon release, the film has gone on to develop a passionate cult following. Max Evry’s upcoming book A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History dives into the making of the movie with interviews from the cast and crew. Mashable has an exclusive excerpt from the book that reveals just how close Val Kilmer came to starring in the movie.

Related Kyle MacLachlan doesn’t “understand” much of David Lynch’s work

According to production office assistant Craig Campobasso, Val Kilmer was actually the number one choice to play...