Naman Shrestha
Based on the 1965 novel titled ‘Dune’ written by Frank Herbert, ‘Dune: Part Two’ is a science fiction drama movie that serves as the sequel to the 2021 film ‘Dune‘ or ‘Dune: Part One.’ Co-written and directed by Denis Villeneuve, the narrative revolves around Paul Atreides‘ quest for revenge against the conspirators who tore his family apart. For his mission, he joins hands with Chani and the Fremen. Meanwhile, his visions of an apocalyptic future, something only he can foresee, begin to bother him.
Now, Paul must choose between the love of his life and the fate of the universe. Led by the stellar performance of Timothée Chalamet, the epic movie also features some other big names in the industry in supporting roles, including Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken. Since the setting of the sequel is the same as the original film, many of you might naturally wonder if it was also filmed in the same locations or not.
Where Was Dune 2 Shot?
‘Dune: Part Two’ was filmed in Italy, Hungary, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, especially in Altivole, Budapest, Wadi Rum, and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. As per reports, principal photography for the sequel reportedly got underway in July 2022 and continued for the next five months or so, before getting wrapped up in December of the same year. In order to avoid repetition, the filming unit utilized several new locations and sets during the shooting of ‘Dune: Part Two.’
Altivole, Italy
Before the entire cast was gathered for the commencement of production, a unit of crew members traveled to the Italian municipality of Altivole situated in the province of Treviso in Italy. Some scenes involving the Corrino household were reportedly lensed in the municipality. The filming unit particularly utilized the Tomba Brion, also known as the Brion sanctuary and Brion-Vega tomb, at Via Brioni in Altivole, Italy. This modernist-looking area fits the setting of the ‘Dune’ universe perfectly, which is why the makers chose it to be one of the prominent filming sites.
Budapest, Hungary
The capital of Hungary — Budapest — also served as a pivotal production location for ‘Dune: Part Two.’ For instance, the sandworm riding scene involving Paul was reportedly recorded on a separate production unit, and the scene took more than three months to shoot. The filming unit created a small portion of the worm on set while the actors were supposed to physically visualize accordingly and act as if they were riding the actual sandworm.
Wadi Rum, Jordan
For shooting purposes, the production team of ‘Dune: Part Two’ traveled to Wadi Rum in Jordan yet again. Moreover, they set up camp in several remote locations across Jordan to shoot most of the romantic scenes between Paul and Chani during the golden hour. To capture the scenes in a particular lighting, they were mostly shot within the window of one hour.
Elaborating on the same, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve talked to The New York Times, saying, “It gives a lot of credit to the actors because the cinematographer (Greig Fraser, who won an Oscar for the first ‘Dune’) and the director are stubborn and want a precise light that will exist for 10 minutes. I didn’t want to make any compromises. There’s scenes that onscreen look very simple, but would be shot in several different environments just to make sure that we have the right rock at the right color at the right time of the day with the precise sun. It was constructed like a puzzle.”
Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Many desert sequences for ‘Dune: Part Two’ were lensed in one of the seven emirates — the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. When Denis Villeneuve was asked about the process of keeping all the desert sand devoid of footprints during the shooting process by Screen Crush, he admitted that it was a nightmare as there were times when he and Greig Fraser, the cinematographer, were getting frustrated. He explained, “We have to instill a lot of discipline in our film crew. We have to make very tight corridors and try to protect our sand.”
“That set that we choose, the sand dunes that are chosen…we look like fools! Crazy people wandering in the desert, picking out specific sand dunes. Why? Because they have a certain shape that I want, or they have the perfect sun orientation that Greig needs,” said Denis. “So those sand dunes become very precious for us and protected by a whole team. It requires a lot of discipline because once you break one, it’s done. So, yeah, it’s like a puzzle.” In fact, the entire process was so complicated that they even had a sand team on set who used to sweep the desert in a way that the wind would erase all the footsteps for the next morning’s shoot.
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