The many Pauls

Before Kyle MacLachlan landed the role of Paul Atreides, many Hollywood A-listers were in the running for the part.

The likes of Val Kilmer, Rob Lowe and Kevin Costner were all considered for the role, though none of them impressed Lynch.

Craig Campobasso, the production office assistant, later said: “We screen-tested Michael Biehn, Kevin Costner, Lewis Smith. There were a few others. Val Kilmer, of course, because Val was actually the number one choice up until Kyle did his screen test.

“Paul is not an easy character. Kyle made it look easy, but if you saw all the other actors struggling ... Michael Biehn did not live up to it. Kevin Costner did not. It's not that they're bad actors; they just didn't fit the criteria for Paul because you're looking for this inner strength. Kevin Costner wasn't known at that time, and I do remember him being nervous because I helped him get into the costume of Paul and I could feel his sense of nerves about it.”