Instead of Kyle MacLachlan, it could have spelled doom for these industry giants

The Dune series has become a spectacular piece of cinema with Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the Frank Herbert novels. Starring Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Florence Pugh among so many other cast members, the anticipated trilogy is already two films down, with one more on the way. But before Villeneuve changed people's minds about the spice fields of Arrakis and the Empire, there were a few other attempts to bring this story to life.

The most successful of them, that is, that the audience will get a full-length film, was the one made by David Lynch. The 1984 adaptation of Dune was a critical and commercial failure, becoming one of the few films in David Lynch's career that was not popularly accepted. As film writer Max Evry once said, it was "the black sheep of David Lynch's filmography." But as many would go on to say in later years, the 1984 film wasn't as bad as it was reported to be at the time, gaining an almost cult-like status in later years.

Although it was Kyle MacLachlan who ended up winning the role of Paul Atreides in David Lynch's Dune, there were quite a few other big names in the running. Top Gun stars Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise both read for the role, as did Yellowstone star Kevin Costner. Reportedly, Val Kilmer was the top choice to play the lead role until David Lynch saw MacLachlan as Muad'Dib.