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Dune 2 begins filming. Here’s what sci-fi fans can expect from the sequel

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Ayaan Paul
Ayaan PaulJul 20, 2022 | 13:36

Dune 2 begins filming. Here’s what sci-fi fans can expect from the sequel

Dune begins production

Recap: The second installment in the director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune, has begun production. Here’s what we know so far and what we can expect from the film.

The second part in the franchise will take off from where its predecessor left off, with the protagonist, Paul Atriedes played by Timothee Chalamet join forces with Zendaya’s Chani and the rest of the Fremen in an attempt to seek vengeance against those who destroyed his family on the desert planet of Arrakis. 

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Theatrical exclusive: In light of the pandemic restricting theatrical releases, Warner Brothers partnered with HBO Max in a hybrid model of film releases throughout 2021, where all theatrical films premiered simultaneously on HBO Max. Dune grossed a total of $400 million worldwide theatrically and over 1.9 million households watched the film on its opening weekend release on HBO Max.

Preliminary filming has begun in Italy while primary filming is set to begin in Hungary and Jordan, later this month. The film will get an exclusive theatrical release, as compared to the hybrid model employed in the release of its predecessor. 

The cast and crew: Greg Frasier as cinematographer, Hans Zimmer as composer and the rest of the technical team are set to return for the sequel, after having won a total of six Academy awards for the film's technical achievements. Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and Stellan Skarsgard are some of the recurring cast members attached to the sequel. 

Of the impressive list of new faces, Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women), Austin Butler (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Elvis), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour, Crimes of the Future) and Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Catch Me If You Can) are some of the A-listers added to the cast for the sequel. 

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What's new: Villeneuve told Collider in March 2022 that the sequel’s script was a “work in progress up until the film’s final cut”, alongside co-writers Jon Spaihts and Eli Roth and to expect a lot more IMAX footage than the first film. 

Florence Pugh has been cast as Princess Irulan, who doesn’t make an appearance until the end of the first book. Although her presence is felt as she narrates parts in the book as recollected memories, Pugh’s casting warrants an greater role in the film as compared to the the source material. 

Elvis star Austin Butler is playing the antithesis to Chalamet’s Paul Atriedes, the Harkonnen heir to the throne and nephew to Skarsgard’s menacing Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Feyd Rautha. And Cristopher Walken is set to star as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV who was responsible for sending Paul and his family to their deaths in Arrakis. 

Moving forward: The film will focus more on developing Chani’s relationship with Paul and shift the focus from Paul as the lead to Chani’s journey henceforth. The film shall also further Paul’s mysterious relationship with the much sought after spice and the gifts of foresight that it seemingly grants him. 

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Also in the works: Warner Brothers has also announced an original spin-off series branching away from the franchise’s storyline helmed by Emmy award winning Chernobyl director Johan Renck. The series will be set 10,000 years before the events of the films and will follow the story of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. 

Dune 2 has shifted its initial release date by a month, now dropping on November 17, 2023.
 

 

Last updated: July 22, 2022 | 18:18
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