Writer on board for 'Dune' remake

Rex Features

Paramount is in discussions with writer Josh Zetumer to bring Frank Herbert's novel Dune to the big screen.

The story takes place on a desert planet called Arrakis, where a power struggle emerges for control of a valuable spice, Melange, used for space travel.

Peter Berg (The Kingdom) will direct the film with Kevin Misher and Kevin J. Anderson acting as producers.

Dune was previously made into a film by David Lynch in 1984, but the film was a financial and critical failure. The book was again adapted for the screen by the Sci Fi Channel for a 2000 mini-series.