Dune Part 1

 Release date: In theaters March 1

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh

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Dune

novel by Herbert

Written by 

Erik Gregersen

Fact-checked by 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 12, 2024 • Article History

Dune by Frank Herbert

Cover of the first edition of Dune, written by Frank Herbert and published by Chilton in 1965, with cover illustration by John Schoenherr.

Dune, science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, serialized in Analog from 1963 to 1965 and then published in book form later in 1965. Dune follows young nobleman Paul Atreides through adversity to his destiny as a messianic leader on the arid desert planet Arrakis. With its rich background and an epic story arising from the ecology, religion, and politics of its setting, Dune is regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels and is one of the most popular, having sold almost 20 million copies and been translated into more than 20 languages.