The spice is so nice they’re making it twice! Production is officially in full swing for Dune: Part Two, according to filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The director is filming the sequel in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, and Italy, making for some beautiful scenery and gorgeous locations for the highly-anticipated continuation. The Dune: Part Two production start is sure to excite fans who loved Villeneuve’s original film in addition to other science-fiction enthusiasts.
The official Dune: Part Two synopsis from Warner Bros and Legendary reads: This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
In addition to announcing the Dune: Part Two production start, a list of new and returning cast members is out in the wild. Dun: Part Two is headlined by Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. Other returning cast members include Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Meanwhile, additions to the cast include Austin Butler (Elvis) as Feyd Rautha, Christopher Walken (The Rundown, Suicide Kings) as the Emperor, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Léa Seydoux, and Souheila Yacoub.
Dune earned $401 million worldwide and was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. The film won several Academy Awards for the score, sound editing, cinematography, production design, and visual effects. The teams that helped make Dune a visual masterpiece will return for the sequel.
“The thing that helps us right now is that it’s the first time I’ve revisited a universe,” Villeneuve said earlier this year about returning for the Dune sequel. “So I’m working with the same crew, everybody knows what to do, we know what it will look like. The movie will be more challenging, but we know where we are stepping. And the screenplay is written. So I feel confident. Frankly, the only big unknown for me right now is the pandemic.”
It was always a possibility that Dune would be a one-and-done endeavor. Thankfully, Villeneuve delivered one of sci-fi’s most inspiring epics in years, prompting another film in the series. In addition to Dune: Part Two, HBO Max is also putting Dune: The Sisterhood into development.
The prequel series is set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” novel series and is told through the eyes of the mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, Bene Gesserit expertly weaves through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the mysterious planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune. The show is said to be a direct prequel to the Dune films.
Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct the series’s pilot and will executive produce along with Jon Spaihts, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert. As for showrunner Diane Ademu-John. she most recently worked as an executive producer and writer on the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor. Her prior credits include shows such as Empire, The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, Medium, and Crossing Jordan.