Dune has been a massive success. The first weekend in the US alone brought in $41 million during a time where nobody seems to be going to the movies. It’s Villeneuve’s biggest opening of his career beating out Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. Super impressive especially if you consider all the people who watched on HBO Max instead of going to the movies. So now all the studios are going to do what they always do, and try and find another Dune while the iron’s hot.
I’m telling you right now, the next great sci-fi franchise is Hyperion, written by Dan Simmons. The first book of this series is the best book I’ve ever read. When I first read Hyperion, I ripped through the internet trying to find anything that said it would be hitting the big screen. That’s when I came across a Reddit post from like 2012 that alleged Bradley Cooper’s obsession with the series. Yahtzee.
Then it came out that Syfy had bought the rights to Hyperion. Which was shit because Syfy had already butchered a triology that I loved in “The Magicians”. I convinced myself I was happy it would be a TV series, because that’s the outlet I believe could best portray the massive world. But I didn’t have high hopes. I wasn’t leaving myself vulnerable to another Syfy let down.
So imagine my surprise when I read that Bradley Cooper's new production company bought the rights from Syfy. He’s been trying to push this through Hollywood for like a decade. It’s a series he’s passionate about and proved it by taking it on as his company’s first project. He’s already managed to get Tom Spezialy to sign on, who did the kickass adaptation of “Watchmen” on HBO. Right now it’s set to be a movie but I don’t even care as long as Bradley Cooper stole it from Syfy.
Here is my spoiler free description that I’ve previously written for the first book:
“Hyperion by Dan Simmons is probably my favorite book and I’ve never met anyone who’s heard of it. Simmons creates this complex universe with intricacies that make you feel like you’ve lived there all your life. This level of world building is paralleled to only maybe George RR Martin.
Thousands of years in the future, seven pilgrims take the journey to Hyperion because one of them has the best chance to stop the mythical Shrike. The Time Tombs that held the immortal killing godlike creature are deteriorating. Both religious prophecy and super computer confirm that these random people from all walks of life have the best chance to prevent the universal apocalypse. But only one will stop the Shrike and undo the tragedy in their life, the rest of them are walking to their deaths.
The pilgrims consist of a Catholic priest, a disgraced war hero, a drunk poet, a nature Templar, a Jewish scholar with his infant daughter, a private investigator, and a government official. Each one tells their story of why they took the journey on the way to the Tome Tombs and why they risk their lives in front of the Shrike. With each passing tale, it grows more and more difficult to figure out who you are rooting for to be the last one standing.
Dan Simmons does an unbelievable job in painting different planets with their different properties and histories. While still acknowledging “Old Earth” and where humanity stemmed from. His foresight for future technologies is genius. Houses that have portals for doors that result in each room being on a different planet. Robots that have the memories and live the lives of humanity’s most famous artists, philosophers, and leaders. Hyperion is really unmatched.”
Dune is amazing, I’ve read that as well. There most likely is no Star Wars, or Hyperion, or anything of that level of sci-fi without Dune. It was groundbreaking for 1965 literature. But it’s publication is it’s blessing and it’s curse. Just like the first-gen of anything, it’s been tweaked, built on, and improved. Think of the first PlayStation when it came out. Iconic, couldn’t even believe what you were playing. Respect, but Hyperion is a PlayStation 5.
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