Dune Reboot Getting Reshoots This August

The coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on the entertainment industry as some movies and TV shows had to halt production to adhere to quarantine protocols while other completed projects had their releases delayed to ensure as many viewers could see them as possible, with Oscar Isaac recently noting that Dune was headed to Europe in August for reshoots, seemingly allowing it to stick to its December release date. While many productions in the United States are still navigating safety protocols, other parts of the world have been able to contain the pandemic more effectively and will be able to resume business as usual more quickly.

“We’re going to do some additional shooting in mid-August… they’re saying in Budapest in Hungary,” Isaac confirmed with Deadline. “I saw some things cut together and it just looks amazing. [Director] Denis [Villeneuve] is a real artist and it will be exciting to see it come together. It’s kind of wild that we’re doing some additional shooting a few months before it’s supposed to come out, but that happened with Star Wars as well.”

In recent years, reshoots have earned a bad reputation among fans, as some audiences have assumed any additional photography was meant to correct problems with a film that were discovered during an edit. While this has been true in some instances, reshoots are a normal part of any major production, as these projects have a big enough budget that they can pick up necessary shots to complete the film most effectively.

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The original Dune novel is considered to be a seminal work of science fiction, though it is also known for being a dense narrative. Villeneuve has previously revealed that he would be splitting the narrative into two parts, but rather than the upcoming film only being a partial story, cinematographer Greig Fraser promised the film will be a complete adventure.

“It’s a fully formed story in itself with places to go. It’s a fully standalone epic film that people will get a lot out of when they see it,” Fraser shared with Collider. “It was quite an adventure visually. It was a beautiful experience making it. The people involved with it, I was overwhelmed. Some of the actors, as well as being insanely talented actors, are just lovely, lovely people who I’ve become very close to since then.”

The new Dune reboot is set to land in theaters on December 18th.

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