'Dune' director bans one 'addictive' thing on sets

Denis Villeneuve has one rule to ensure everyone focuses on their craft without distractions.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the three-time Oscar nominee director revealed that his movie sets have a strict no-phone policy.

"Cinema is an act of presence. When a painter paints, he has to be absolutely focused on the colour he’s putting on the canvas," he explained, sharing the reason behind banning mobile phones from his sets. "With a filmmaker, you have to do that with a crew, and everybody has to focus and be entirely in the present, listening to each other."

"So cellphones are banned on my set, too, since Day 1. It’s forbidden. When you say cut, you don’t want someone going to his phone to look at his Facebook account," he added.

Weighing in on his decision to ban the device from his sets, the Dune filmmaker reflects on his biases agaist mobile phones. 

"It’s compulsive. It’s like a drug. I’m very tempted to disconnect myself. It would be fresh air," the 57-year-old director said.

On the work front, Villeneuve revealed plans to start filming the third instalment of the Dune franchise, based on Frank Herbert’s 1969 novel Dune Messiah, in late 2025 or early 2026.