Dune: Part Two has wrapped up filming. In an Instagram post, lead Timothée Chalamet said, “DUNE 2 WRAPPED (with desert dad !!),” in which he’s seen pictured alongside his father, Marc Chalamet. The much-anticipated sequel began filming in July, with Denis Villeneuve returning as director to realise the second half of the original 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. Dune 2’s release date was recently moved up by two weeks — after Marvel Studios’ Blade evacuated the spot — and is now slated to hit theatres in November, next year.
Villeneuve — best known for the critically-acclaimed Prisoners, and Blade Runner 2049 — did the impossible when he managed to turn Herbert’s dense epic into a digestible format. Notable filmmakers such as David Lynch attempted an adaptation decades ago that turned out to be infamous, whereas Alejandro Jodorowsky, who drew inspiration from his own graphic novel series The Incal, failed to even get it off the ground. 2021’s Dune also happened to be one of the first big-budget — $165 million (about Rs. 1,363 crore) — Hollywood films to prove that people were still willing to visit theatres, in a post-COVID world. The film grossed $401.8 million (about Rs. 3,320 crore) at the global box office, and bagged six Academy Awards, including one apiece for Best Cinematography and Original Score.
While Chalamet’s tweet never mentions plot details, the official Dune: Part Two synopsis from Warner Bros. 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.” The first film showed glimpses of Paul’s visions, involving an oncoming crusade, which saw him striking down enemies in battle, while dressed in a weird golden-white armour. The clip focused on his blue-tinted eyes — presumably, after mastering the application of the rare spice aka melange.
As stated before, production on Dune 2 began in July, across several locations including Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Italy, and Jordan. The film will feature returning cast members in Zendaya as the love interest Chani, Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica (Paul’s mother), Stellan Skarsgård the as antagonist Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar, the leader of the Arrakis tribe. New entrants include Léa Seydoux (The French Dispatch) as Lady Margot, Christopher Walken (Seven Psychopaths) as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, and Florence Pugh (Black Widow) as Princess Irulan Corrino.
Late last month, Chernobyl director Johan Renck confirmed on Instagram that production on HBO Max’s Dune spin-off prequel series, Dune: The Sisterhood had commenced in Budapest. Set 10,000 years before the events of Dune, the series follows the Harkonnen sisters, as they get involved in an underground coven called the Sisterhood of Rossak, who train their minds and body to obtain supernatural powers. Starring Emily Watson (Synecdoche, New York) and Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter movies) in the lead, the show is meant to show the evolution of the enigmatic Bene Gesserit we saw in the 2021 movie.
Dune: Part Two will hit theatres worldwide on November 3, 2023.
