Dune: Part II has officially begun production, and Warner Bros. has released the locations of where the highly anticipated sequel will be filming. Denis Villeneuve is returning to the director’s chair for the follow-up, which will film in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, and Italy. Those 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.
Greig Fraser is returning to shoot the film, marking his second collaboration with Villeneuve. In the first Dune, 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. Based on the parts still to tell from the original novel, it makes complete sense that all of these settings would remain locations for Part II.
Notably absent from the filming locations is the city of Stadlandet in Norway. This city was used to create Caladan, the home planet of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac). Given the story from both the novel and Part I, Caladan would not be included in Part II. It’s not clear what the intended setting is for Italy, though new planets are sure to be explored in this sequel. Especially with new characters like the Emperor (Christopher Walken) and Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) entering the fold, there are undoubtedly more worlds to explore.
Filming commenced on Dune: Part II earlier this week. The story was left open at the end of Part I for a sequel, which Warner Bros. officially confirmed shortly after the original’s release back in October. Following the first novel by Frank Herbert, the sequel will “explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) 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.”
Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, and Stephen McKinley Henderson are all returning to reprise their original roles alongside Chalamet and Zendaya. In addition to Walken and Pugh, newcomers to the film include Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, as well as Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot and Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli.
Dune: Part II is set to hit theaters on November 17, 2023.
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