The second part of Denis Villeneuve’s visual masterpiece Dune has officially begun production. The movie’s official Twitter handle announced, “We’re rolling. Production on Dune: Part Two has begun,” with a picture of the clapboard. Warner Bros. recently delayed the movie’s release date from October 20, 2023, to November 17, 2023.
The first part of Dune showed us Paul Atreides arriving at Arrakis as his father accepts the stewardship of the dangerous planet. However, chaos follows as forces clash to control a precious resource called spice. Out of the chaos, only Paul and his mother Lady Jessica survive ,and in the desert encounter Stilgar's tribe and Chani, a girl from Paul's disturbing visions. Part two will now focus on Paul’s journey and his quest to find the meaning behind his visions while trying to fulfill his father's goal of bringing peace to Arrakis.
Speaking of his plans for Dune: Part Two, the director told Empire in a February interview, ”I will say it is mostly designed. The thing that helps us right now is that it’s the first time I’ve revisited a universe. So I’m working with the same crew, everybody knows what to do, we know what it will look like. The movie will be more challenging, but we know where we are stepping. And the screenplay is written. So I feel confident.” Speaking of the world-building and splitting Herbert’s book in two, he said, “Now in the second one, I want to have more flexibility, and it will be possible to go a little bit deeper into some of these details."
Soon after its October 2021 release, Dune managed a smashing $401.8 million at the worldwide box office, and also became an awards season favorite. The movie received 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay and won six: Best Sound, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.
Dune: Part Two will see the return of various familiar faces in the cast, such as Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atriedes, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Zendaya as Chani, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Furthermore, the sequel has cast new names like Christopher Walken as Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot. It is also reported that Elvis star Austin Butler will star as Feyd-Rautha with Black Widow star Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan Corrino.
Dune is available to watch on HBO Max. Meanwhile, check out the tweet below: