This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
To cite but one example, look at the fate of Josh Trank and his 2015Fantastic Fourmovie.
Within months, Trank was given the opportunity to make a newFantastic Fourmovie.
Trank andFantastic Fourhighlighted the limits of creative freedom that can emerge while making blockbuster movies.
Maverick director Alejandro Jodorowsky came next.
Ridley Scott initially thought about makingDuneafter makingAlien, but went on to directBlade Runnerinstead.
All qualities, they thought, that were perfect for theirDuneproject.
Where George LucasStar Warssequel was pre-packaged, Frank HerbertsDunesuggested riskier yet attractively uncharted territory.
Its 400 pages were crammed full of power struggles, allegory, death, and strange creatures.
A struggle for those whod been attracted toDunewas the difficulty of adapting its huge narrative into a satisfying movie.
Lynch wrote seven drafts before he finally came up with a 120-page screenplay.
The added problem Lynch faced, from the very beginning, is that he didnt have final cut.
I havent really been able to do that here.
But there are still many things in the film that are strange and exciting.
We havent started doing montages.
[…] I dont even really know whats going to be in them.
There are some images that I want to work with.
I can picture things in my mind.
But its not the same as when you have the film right in front of you.
One later discussion with the director aptly illustrates his feelings towards the movie.
I loved Dino and Raffaella, Lynch says, his eyes downcast, but it was a nightmare.
Its a horrible experience when things dont go well, Lynch said.
It began to be impossible.
But once youre committed, you have to see it through.
SinceDune, Lynch has studiously avoided the mainstream that once courted him.
If he hasnt felt like making feature films, hes made shorts, TV shows, or commercials.
At other times, he doesnt make movies at all.
He creates music, or paints, or makes furniture.
Its now clear he wasnt kidding.
Thats the big lesson, Lynch said, more than a decade after he first signed up to directDune.
Dont make a film if it cant be the film you want to make.
Its a sick joke, and itll kill you.
