Director Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic 'Dune: Part II' is set to hit theatres on November 17, 2023.
Dune: Part II will return to the Liwa Desert, Abu Dhabi, for over a month in November 2022, taking advantage of the 30% cash rebate on productions offered by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, while production services will be provided by Epic Films, along with support from a number of UAE production partners.
Abu Dhabi will reprise its role as the iconic setting of the desert planet Arrakis in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel.
Legendary Films, the producer of Dune, will also be hiring five interns from the UAE to experience first-hand what it would be like to work on the set of a film like Dune. The production company also plans to hold seminars in Abu Dhabi for aspiring filmmakers and technicians in the UAE to learn more about the different areas of film production.
Following the first novel by Herbert, the sequel will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya, who was briefly introduced in Part I) and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
The Dune novel by Herbert is set on the desert planet Arrakis, and is the story of a boy, Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending the life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for… When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
Denis Villeneuve is returning at the helm of the follow-up, which will shoot in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, and Northern Italy. The first three locations served as filming spots for the previous film, while Italy marks a new location for the franchise, which could open the door to a brand new setting for the sequel.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser is also returning to shoot the film, marking his second collaboration with Villeneuve. In the first Dune, the Wadi Rum in Jordan served as the newly inherited planet of the Atreides’, Arrakis. Budapest was the setting for some major action set pieces in the first film, specifically that of the Arrakeen invasion. The deserts where the Fremen resided were filmed in Abu Dhabi.
The cast of Dune: Part Two includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya, and Javier Bardem who will return alongside recent additions to the cast including Florence Pugh, Austin Butler and Christopher Walken.
Dune is among more than 130 major productions that have used Abu Dhabi as a location in recent years, benefiting from the diversity of its locations, pool of talented professionals, award-winning facilities and 30% cashback rebate.
Filmmaker Villeneuve returns in the director’s chair for the sequel alongside his co-writers Eric Roth and Jon Spaiths, who penned the script.
