Written by Kianna Best on Jul 20, 2022. Posted in Production News

Dune part two filming locations revealed

The filming locations for Denis Villeneuve’s second instalment of award-winning science fiction film Dune have been revealed. Some familiar, and others new territory to be explored, filming will take place in Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Jordan, and Italy. The production will be released from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment, scheduled for November 2023.

Set against the backdrops of dust covered desert landscapes and parched cliffsides, the first part of this award-winning film is not too different from what can be expected from the upcoming release. Returning to Budapest, Abu Dhabi and Jordan, the familiar settings of Arrakis will seamlessly lead into the continuation of the narrative

Combining the jagged rock formations of Wadi Rum, Jordan, and the sandy rolling dunes of Abu Dhabi, Villeneuve was able to create a signature filmed environment. However, Dune part two expands to new territories as filming is set to occur in Italy. With the unique range of locations explored throughout the film, an otherworldly experience is created. The multidimensionality of each filmed location allows the characters to travel great distances, all the while potentially still being captured in the same location.

As the effects of the pandemic caused a sense of uncertainty with regards to the production of this film, the halt to the film industry also affected the countries themselves. With the lockdown measures in place, all countries faced international and regional production cancellations and postponements, with Jordan having to cancel many festivals that are used to promote the efforts of the local industries.

However, with a resilient mentality, initiatives have been put in place to restore the audio-visual industries of the respective countries, for example, Abu Dhabi’s 30% cash rebate incentive and Budapest’s multiple training programmes that are supporting the next generation of filmmakers. As for Italy, which also faced a plummet in production involvement due to the pandemic, the region has been regaining its strength following a partnership with Netflix that provided emergency funding for the industry, as well as the return of the Venice Film Festival.

Familiar faces Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, and Zendaya will reclaim their lead roles for the second instalment, as well as Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Elvis star Austin Butler has also been confirmed to join the cast as Feyd Rautha as well as Christopher Walken as he emperor. Charlotte Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub will also be involved.

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures