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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
New York, NY
In the latest
convergence of media, ibooks, a distributed imprint of Simon and
Schuster, announced today the publication of the first combined
illustrated book and DVD trade paperback, THE SECRETS OF FRANK
HERBERT'S DUNE.
The book’s publication is timed to coincide
with the premiere of Frank Herbert’s Dune the $20,000,000
plus budgeted mini-series, airing over three nights in December on
the Sci Fi Channel. The illustrated book and the included DVD
seamlessly combine to act as both a general companion guide to the
mini-series, as well as an in depth behind-the-scenes study of the
filmmaking process. Produced exclusively for this book by the
producers of the mini-series, the over 80-minute DVD will be bound
inside the book’s cover. Carefully organized, together the book
and DVD use cast and crew interviews, over 500 production stills, as
well as, production, costume, and visual effects design drawings and
paintings to take the reader and viewer through each phase of the
production in detail, as well as tell the Dune saga.
“Frank Herbert’s Dune” features a prestigious ensemble cast, mixing new and familiar faces including Alec Newman, Matt Keeslar, Saskia Reeves, Ian McNeice, PH Moriarty, Julie Cox, Italian screen icon Giancarlo Giannini, and Academy Award-winning actor William Hurt as Duke Leto. The film was written and directed by John Harrison (Tales from the Darkside: The Movie) and executive produced by Richard p. Rubinstein and Mitchell Galin, who previously collaborated on the very successful 8-hour mini-series Stephen King’s The Stand. Producer David Kappes oversaw the production on a day to day basis. The exceptional production team also included acclaimed three-time Academy Award-winning Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Last Emperor, Reds, Apocalypse Now); Oscar-winning costume designer Theodor Pistek (Amadeus); Cesar-winning production designer Miljen Kreka Kljakovic (Indochine); and Emmy-nominated visual effects supervisor Ernest Farino (From the Earth to the Moon).
“We are thrilled to work with
New Amsterdam Entertainment to bring to a new book format one of the
most ambitious television mini-series ever produced based on a ‘brand
name’ classic science fiction novel,” explained Byron Preiss,
publisher of ibooks. “As an old acquaintance of the late Frank
Herbert, I would bet that he would have loved the look and tone of
the Art Nouveau sets and the grand production design of this epic
mini-series.”
Commenting on the illustrated book’s
upcoming publication, executive producer Richard p. Rubinstein noted,
“ibooks has provided the viewer of the mini-series a great
opportunity to bare witness to the painstaking measures the
filmmakers went through while trying to faithfully adapt this classic
novel to the screen. By going out as an illustrated book which
contains a footage packed DVD, Byron has once again shown his ability
to think outside of the box.” Rubinstein added, “I’ve always
felt that Dune was a book that was timeless and ageless. Although set
in the future, the story doesn’t depend on Sci Fi techno babble or
gadgets to keep one’s interest. It’s a great story of life,
love, loyalty, and a young man’s coming of age. It has general
themes and characters everyone can relate to. THE SECRETS OF FRANK
HERBERT’S DUNE illustrated book and the included DVD will help
introduce the saga to a whole new generation.”
This authorized trade paperback and DVD
combination will retail for $18.95. It is a dazzling illustrated
book and DVD treasury of behind-the-scene production stills,
interviews, video clips and drawings, which show why the Sci Fi
Channel gave the mini-series the biggest production budget in the
channel’s history. Simultaneously with the release of the book and
DVD will be an e-book version for sale though internet book
distributors including Barnes & Noble (www.bn.com).
“Frank
Herbert’s Dune” is a New Amsterdam® Entertainment, Inc.
production in association with Victor Television Productions, Inc.
and Evision.