One man’s dying wish was to see Dune: Part Two, and the filmmakers made that happen just days before he did in fact pass away. Canada’s Global News reported that a man in end-of-life care in northern Quebec made it known to staff that he was a big movie fan and wanted to see the film before he passed on. After a social media post picked up steam, the care facility was able to get in touch with director Denis Villeneuve’s team and they helped make it happen.
Producer Tanya Lapointe, who is married to Villeneuve, offered to fly the man to Los Angeles or have him attend the premiere in Montreal. However, the man was “at the end,” his care worker told the publication.
So in January, Villeneuve’s assistant flew to the palliative care facility with a copy of the film on a laptop. “It was a race against time because from one day to the next, we didn’t know if he would make it. He only had a few days left,” end-of-life caretaker Josée Gagnon said.
The assistant did arrive on time, and after everyone present signed an NDA, the man watched the film with one of the centre’s caregivers. “It’s a three-hour movie. He didn’t have the strength to watch the whole thing but from what he was able to see, he adored it,” Gagnon said.
Just a couple days later, the man passed away. Gagnon passed sent along a statement from Villeneuve in which the director said, “It’s for him. It’s for that man that we make films.”
Dune: Part Two is in theaters now, and it’s putting up big numbers at the box office.
Looking ahead, Villenueve recently told GameSpot that he might make Dune movies forever or he may stop with Dune: Part Two. He’s been tinkering with a script for a third Dune movie, Dune: Messiah, but even if it does get made, it won’t be the director’s next project.
