Dune’s Biggest Inspiration Is Still the Greatest Adventure Epic of All Time

Just as J.R.R. Tolkien was integral to the fantasy landscape upon the release of his magnum opus, Frank Herbert fundamentally changed science fiction with the release of Dune, but Herbert’s novel didn’t exist in a vacuum. While readers often focus on its environmental themes, political intrigue, and sprawling mythology, one of its biggest inspirations belonged to an entirely different genre. Decades before Paul Atreides crossed the deserts of Arrakis, another reluctant outsider was uniting desert tribes in one of cinema’s most celebrated historical epics.