Denis Villeneuve is one of sci-fi’s preeminent visualists, but one opening scene idea was scrapped due to its immense budget.

In an interview with IndieWire, Dune screenwriter Eric Roth was asked about how he joined the project and what early ideas he had for his version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi opus. According to Roth, he appreciated the source material but wasn’t a “fanboy” which gave him some distance to approach the work.

“That gave me an objective view of it. I grew up in that era, which ‘Dune’ was part and parcel of — psychedelics and all the things that I lived through… And so I said, ‘What the hell, I’ll try it. What have I got to lose?”’

Working with Villeneuve was another reason Roth joined the project. However, an early draft of Roth’s script began with a biblical “Genesis” of the desert planet Arrakis, where Dune is set.

“Because I’m adventurous, I started the movie with what would seem to be Genesis — “and God created’ — and you think you’re seeing the formation of the Earth. And it’s ‘Dune,’ with wild animals, things you’ve never seen.

However, this idea never made it to film because according to Villeneuve, while he loved the idea, if done the director claims the team “can’t afford the rest of the movie.”

Roth says he’s unsure if this was Villeneuve's polite way to pass on the idea, but given Dune’s other visual effects and massive budget, any additional scenes may have stretched the cost too much.

The idea of genesis has been done on film before, notably by Darren Aronofsky in his 2014 biblical movie Noah. But certainly, an entire cold open dedicated to visually representing the creation of an entire planet could add months of production to a movie already split into two parts.

Safe to say Dune still succeeded without this early idea as we considered it one of the best movies of 2021. Check out IGN’s review for Dune here for our take on, what I’d consider, successful adaptation of the unfilmable sci-fi novel.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Denis Villeneuve is one of sci-fi’s preeminent visualists, but one opening scene idea was scrapped due to its immense budget.

In an interview with IndieWire, Dune screenwriter Eric Roth was asked about how he joined the project and what early ideas he had for his version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi opus. According to Roth, he appreciated the source material but wasn’t a “fanboy” which gave him some distance to approach the work.

“That gave me an objective view of it. I grew up in that era, which ‘Dune’ was part and parcel of — psychedelics and all the things that I lived through… And so I said, ‘What the hell, I’ll try it. What have I got to lose?”’

Working with Villeneuve was another reason Roth joined the project. However, an early draft of Roth’s script began with a biblical “Genesis” of the desert planet Arrakis, where Dune is set.

“Because I’m adventurous, I started the movie with what would seem to be Genesis — “and God created’ — and you think you’re seeing the formation of the Earth. And it’s ‘Dune,’ with wild animals, things you’ve never seen.

However, this idea never made it to film because according to Villeneuve, while he loved the idea, if done the director claims the team “can’t afford the rest of the movie.”

Roth says he’s unsure if this was Villeneuve's polite way to pass on the idea, but given Dune’s other visual effects and massive budget, any additional scenes may have stretched the cost too much.

The idea of genesis has been done on film before, notably by Darren Aronofsky in his 2014 biblical movie Noah. But certainly, an entire cold open dedicated to visually representing the creation of an entire planet could add months of production to a movie already split into two parts.

Safe to say Dune still succeeded without this early idea as we considered it one of the best movies of 2021. Check out IGN’s review for Dune here for our take on, what I’d consider, successful adaptation of the unfilmable sci-fi novel.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Update: Activision has reached out to IGN with a statement on the report that 2023's Call of Duty release was being delayed to 2024.

“We have an exciting slate of premium and free-to-play Call of Duty experiences for this year, next year and beyond. Reports of anything otherwise are incorrect. We look forward to sharing more details when the time is right."

IGN has followed up with Activision to ask if this was a direct denial of the claims in the Bloomberg piece that specifically the typical major November Call of Duty release in 2023 would be delayed to 2024, and will update this story accordingly.

Original story:

The typical annual Call of Duty release planned for 2023 has reportedly been delayed into 2024.

According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation, executives in charge of the franchise have made the decision early after "a recent entry in the series failed to meet expectations," leading them to believe that Call of Duty's current annual cadence of releases was too rapid. The decision is reportedly unrelated to the recent Microsoft purchase of the publisher, and the 2022 Call of Duty release is still on track.

The "recent entry" is most likely Call of Duty: Vanguard, which faced release competition with Battlefield 2042 this past holiday season, as well as the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone. A previous report noted that Vanguard's sales had also been suffering due to players feeling fatigued at Call of Duty's constant release cadence, making them less interested in buying a new entry every year.

The annual Call of Duty release has traditionally been one of gaming's biggest moneymakers, typically topping sales charts in the US at launch and remaining in the top ten year-round. With a massive sales gap now looming, Activision is reportedly working on other projects to fill in the gap such as ongoing content for 2022's Call of Duty release and a separate new, free-to-play online game that's as yet unannounced.

One interesting note is that this could mean Call of Duty players on PlayStation are able to stick with the series on their console of choice for a bit longer, as Microsoft has reportedly said it wants to release the next three games (Call of Duty 2022, 2024, and Warzone 2) on all platforms post-acquisition.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The typical annual Call of Duty release planned for 2023 has reportedly been delayed into 2024.

According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation, executives in charge of the franchise have made the decision early after "a recent entry in the series failed to meet expectations," leading them to believe that Call of Duty's current annual cadence of releases was too rapid. The decision is reportedly unrelated to the recent Microsoft purchase of the publisher, and the 2022 Call of Duty release is still on track.

The "recent entry" is most likely Call of Duty: Vanguard, which faced release competition with Battlefield 2042 this past holiday season, as well as the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone. A previous report noted that Vanguard's sales had also been suffering due to players feeling fatigued at Call of Duty's constant release cadence, making them less interested in buying a new entry every year.

The annual Call of Duty release has traditionally been one of gaming's biggest moneymakers, typically topping sales charts in the US at launch and remaining in the top ten year-round. With a massive sales gap now looming, Activision is reportedly working on other projects to fill in the gap such as ongoing content for 2022's Call of Duty release and a separate new, free-to-play online game that's as yet unannounced.

One interesting note is that this could mean Call of Duty players on PlayStation are able to stick with the series on their console of choice for a bit longer, as Microsoft has reportedly said it wants to release the next three games (Call of Duty 2022, 2024, and Warzone 2) on all platforms post-acquisition.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Warner Bros. Animation has announced today that Constantine: The House of Mystery will be available digitally and on Blu-Ray beginning May 3 of this year.

Constantine: The House of Mystery is an animated short featuring John Constantine. The animated short will have the titular character waking up in an "eerie House of Mystery with no recollection" of how he ended up in the house. Matt Ryan, who previously voiced/portrayed the antihero in several DC films and TV shows, including the short-lived TV series Constantine, is confirmed to be voicing the character once again.

Alongside a new Constantine animated short, the company also confirmed today that three additional short films would be bundled into an anthology of sorts: Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, The Losers, and Blue Beetle are all included, Warner Bros. confirmed. The press release also notes that a special featurette titled "DC Showcase: One Story at a Time" will also be included.

IGN exclusively revealed a new trailer for the upcoming anthology this past weekend. Yet we knew that the new Constantine short was coming after Warner Bros. teased it as part of DC Fandome 2021.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Warner Bros. Animation has announced today that Constantine: The House of Mystery will be available digitally and on Blu-Ray beginning May 3 of this year.

Constantine: The House of Mystery is an animated short featuring John Constantine. The animated short will have the titular character waking up in an "eerie House of Mystery with no recollection" of how he ended up in the house. Matt Ryan, who previously voiced/portrayed the antihero in several DC films and TV shows, including the short-lived TV series Constantine, is confirmed to be voicing the character once again.

Alongside a new Constantine animated short, the company also confirmed today that three additional short films would be bundled into an anthology of sorts: Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, The Losers, and Blue Beetle are all included, Warner Bros. confirmed. The press release also notes that a special featurette titled "DC Showcase: One Story at a Time" will also be included.

IGN exclusively revealed a new trailer for the upcoming anthology this past weekend. Yet we knew that the new Constantine short was coming after Warner Bros. teased it as part of DC Fandome 2021.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Here's your first (official) look at Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic. The actor is set to play the legendary parody musician and polka fiend in The Roku Channel's upcoming biopic.

Originally reported by People, the image shows Radcliffe as a relatively younger version of Yankovic (presumably the 80's, judging from the clothing and hair) performing on an accordion.

"Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life," Radcliffe said in a statement.

WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story will follow Yankovic's life from early hits like "Eat It" to his rise to Grammy-winning status. Yankovic shared the photo of Radcliffe on his official Twitter, jokingly claiming that Radcliffe was a rabid superfan who had snuck onto set.

“When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic joked in a statement when the film was first announced. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”

The biopic is being written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, who directed Son of Zorn and the Funny or Die mini-doc about the life of Yankovic. The film is being produced by Funny or Die.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/polka king for IGN.

Here's your first (official) look at Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic. The actor is set to play the legendary parody musician and polka fiend in The Roku Channel's upcoming biopic.

Originally reported by People, the image shows Radcliffe as a relatively younger version of Yankovic (presumably the 80's, judging from the clothing and hair) performing on an accordion.

"Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life," Radcliffe said in a statement.

WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story will follow Yankovic's life from early hits like "Eat It" to his rise to Grammy-winning status. Yankovic shared the photo of Radcliffe on his official Twitter, jokingly claiming that Radcliffe was a rabid superfan who had snuck onto set.

“When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic joked in a statement when the film was first announced. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”

The biopic is being written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, who directed Son of Zorn and the Funny or Die mini-doc about the life of Yankovic. The film is being produced by Funny or Die.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/polka king for IGN.

Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist commonly regarded as one of the "fathers of the atomic bomb" in Christopher Nolan's new biopic. You can check out the first look at Murphy as Oppenheimer in the image below.

Murphy is just one member of a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt.

Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist who worked at the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, where the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons. Oppenheimer was among the first humans to witness the effects of a nuclear explosion at the Trinity test in New Mexico. He later remarked that the test brought to mind the words of the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Oppenheimer later became a part of the General Advisory Committee in the United States Atomic Energy Commission, working to prevent nuclear proliferation and a nuclear arms race with Soviet Russia.

Murphy is a longtime collaborator of Nolan's, co-starring as Scarecrow in 2005's Batman Begins, then later The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk, and The Dark Knight Rises.

Nolan's film is an adaptation of the 2005 Pultizer Prize-winning book "The American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer." The film is Nolan's first major project with Universal following the director's heated split with Warner Bros. Universal is set to release Oppenheimer in theaters on July 21, 2023.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/destroyer of worlds for IGN.

Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist commonly regarded as one of the "fathers of the atomic bomb" in Christopher Nolan's new biopic. You can check out the first look at Murphy as Oppenheimer in the image below.

Murphy is just one member of a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt.

Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist who worked at the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, where the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons. Oppenheimer was among the first humans to witness the effects of a nuclear explosion at the Trinity test in New Mexico. He later remarked that the test brought to mind the words of the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

Oppenheimer later became a part of the General Advisory Committee in the United States Atomic Energy Commission, working to prevent nuclear proliferation and a nuclear arms race with Soviet Russia.

Murphy is a longtime collaborator of Nolan's, co-starring as Scarecrow in 2005's Batman Begins, then later The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk, and The Dark Knight Rises.

Nolan's film is an adaptation of the 2005 Pultizer Prize-winning book "The American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer." The film is Nolan's first major project with Universal following the director's heated split with Warner Bros. Universal is set to release Oppenheimer in theaters on July 21, 2023.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/destroyer of worlds for IGN.