After intriguing and delighting audiences with Dune: Part One in 2021, Denis Villineuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi saga is coming back for more, with Dune: Part Two set to bow in 2023. The blockbuster film will feature a combination of returning and new cast members — and it sounds like production on the sequel story is going to be ramping up very soon. According to new reports, Dune: Part Two will officially begin production in Budapest, Hungary on July 21st. Pre-shooting on the film is currently underway in the Veneto region of Altivole, Italy, particularly to shoot exterior locations.
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Dune: Part Two is expected to see the return of Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atredies, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Zendaya as Chani, with Christopher Walker playing Emperor Shaddam IV, Lea Seydoux as Lady Margot, and Florence Pugh in negotiations to play Princess Irulan.
“We have been hearing in the past few decades that it’s not possible to adapt this book, and that it’s an impossible task. I think that in the back of the mind of the studio, it’s still the same!” Villeneuve told Total Film in an interview last year. “So the first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project. They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I’m very optimistic.”
“I’m writing [Part Two] now, and I feel like I’m eight years old again,” he added. “That’s very uncommon for me. It’s the first time I’ve experienced it where I’m watching one of my movies, and I have a moment of deep gratitude, of deep joy, and I say, ‘Thank you, life, for having allowed me to bring that to the screen.’ [laughs] I don’t know how other people will feel about it. But me? Denis Villeneuve when he was 14 years old? Thank you.”
Are you excited for Dune: Part 2? What do you think of this latest production update? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Dune: Part 2 is currently scheduled to be released on November 17, 2023.
h/t: Deadline
