The Spice Will Flow Again As Dune: Part Two Begins Filming This Month
Although "Dune: Part Two" recently had its release date pushed back a month from October to November 2023, it's drawing ever closer to the start date for its production. By the time you read this, pre-shooting on "Dune: Part Two" may already be underway in Italy.
Local reports, verified by Deadline, indicate that Brion Tomb in Altivole is the location where the pre-shooting will be done this week, before production goes into full swing in Budapest, Hungary, on July 21, 2022. Designed by Carlo Scarpa, Brion Tomb has a geometric layout, and its architecture is considered modernist. Although I've read the Frank Herbert novel on which "Dune" is based, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you which book location they're bringing to life in this place.
Budapest, however, is where principal photography on "Dune" (or "Dune: Part One") originally started back in March 2019. "Dune" also shot in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan, a place that has served as a location for numerous films, including "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Martian."
"Dune: Part Two" is bringing back principal cast members Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Stellan Skarsgård, with Zendaya's character, Chani, expected to take center stage. Several new additions to the cast will join them in the sequel, including Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, and "Elvis" star Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.
Part Two (of Three?)
Although the 94th Academy Awards were overshadowed by controversy, and some categories were relegated to pre-taping before the live ceremony, "Dune" actually won the most Oscars this year, taking home Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography. Somehow, director Denis Villeneuve did not land a nomination (a snub decried by Josh Brolin and others), but he is returning to helm the sequel. Villeneuve has even said he would like to make "Dune Messiah," a film based on the next book in Herbert's series, after "Dune: Part Two," which could mean the next movie will someday be looked back on as the middle chapter in a trilogy.
In the meantime, "Part Two" will adapt the remainder of Herbert's first "Dune" novel. It was originally scheduled for release on October 20, 2023, which would have seen it hitting theaters two years after the opening weekend of "Part One." However, it has since been moved to the weekend before Thanksgiving and will now open on November 17, 2023.