Following the recent release of Denis Villeneuve's Dune, Legendry Pictures confirmed the much-anticipated Part Two would indeed move forward. Now, Dune Part Two is reportedly set to begin filming in July 2022.
Villeneuve originally intended to split Frank Herbert's 1965 Dune novel into two parts before he agreed to helm the project back in 2017, eventually planning to film the two parts back-to-back due to the major complexity and heftiness of the source material. However, the pandemic combined with Warner Bros.' financial loss changed that.
Thankfully, though, Dune opened up to rave reviews from fans and critics (racking up an estimated $331.1 million worldwide as of now) and it was announced shortly after that the film's success had greenlit its deserving sequel. According to a The Film Stage reporter who attended a special screening and Q&A session hosted by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation this past Saturday in Los Angeles, one of the producers for Dune: Part Two shared that filming will begin on July 8th, 2022. Filming will take place roughly a year before its 2023 exclusive theatrical release. Even with its release still ways away, Dune: Part Two will give Villeneuve plenty of time to complete his vision.
Other than fans who have read the book, Dune: Part Two's plot details are still unclear to many. While the first film's 2 hours and 35-minute runtime relied heavily on world-building and character introductions, Villeneuve has teased in a recent interview that Dune: Part Two will have a greater amount of fun and give off a more cinematic feel. What is known, though, other than Zendaya's Chani having a bigger role, is that composer Hans Zimmer has already come up with about 90 minutes of new music for Dune: Part Two to help with Villeneuve's writing process, as the director has already been working hard on penning the script. "I’m writing [Part Two] now, and I feel like I’m eight years old again," Villeneuve said back in August.
Some of Dune's biggest praise went towards the film's scope and cinematography (by The Batman's Greig Fraser), as other visionary filmmakers like Christopher Nolan had nothing but positive things to say. "It’s one of the most seamless marriages of live-action photography and computer-generated visual effects that I’ve seen,” Nolan told Villeneuve in a recent podcast. Whatever Villeneuve sets out to accomplish in the sequel, the director will no doubt once again create something visually spectacular and grand.
Dune's incredible ensemble also includes Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, and Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban. Dune is currently playing in theaters now and will also be available to stream on HBO Max until November 22.
Dune: Part Two is set to release in theatres on October 20, 2023.
Source: Josh Encinias