I am choosing to look at Frank Herbert's Dune as it is a cult book turned screen adaptation, and attempted several times. This proves a great candidate for comparison because prior adaptations to film did not work so well in terms of mass audience appeal.
It's a daunting task to take an epic book and attempt to turn it into a screenplay that works. For this reason, it took many years before anyone took on the challenge to bring Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to the cinema. Special effects technology certainly plays a part in this, which then allows a screenwriter more scope and freedom in forming the screenplay. This doesn't mean that special effects rescue or take the place of good storytelling, but that it simply allows for a better representation of the world being described.
This 2021 version of Dune works fantastically because of the three people behind its inception. Denis Villeneuve took part at the screenwriting stage along with veterans, Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. Their credits are formidable and fitting for this genre. Spaihts put pen to "Prometheus", "Doctor Strange", "Passengers", while Eric Roth delivered, "Forrest Gump", "The Insider", and "A Star is Born".
I believe that much of this version's success comes from a solid script, which so far has been impossible to find on the internet.
One significant aspect of screenwriting which can so easily go wrong is the use of narration or voice over.
A great example of the problem with voice overs is in Lynch's 1984 rendition of Dune. Have a look here to understand what I mean:
For this reason, Villeneuve decided not to follow the voice over exposition route. Instead he used other ways to convey the required information. Have a look at my video presentation to find out what was done to get around this.
Whilst the Dune screenplay is difficult to locate, the presentation here is very much along the lines of what the screenplay must have given to the film crew in making Dune. Screenwriting can carve a path and lay foundations for a successful movie. I even talk of how in your writing you can leave room for a great musical score. It's not that you signpost this and state what must be played in the background, but more that great action description writing can run in such a way that it begs for the addition of complimentary music to bridge the scenes. In writing Dune, the tone was set phenomenally for Hans Zimmer to wave his magic wand and bring a stirring musical score to set off against the incredible special effects and stunning cinematography.
Certainly a film like Villeneuve's Dune must inspire all budding screenwriters to open their laptops and get creative!
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