Exclusive: Dune Part 2 to film in Jordan end of this year

Denis Villeneuve’s hotly-anticipated Dune: Part 2 is going to return to the Kingdom of Jordan to shoot at the end of this year.

The production filmed in Wadi Rum and Wadi Araba for part one and is likely to return to those desert settings for part two, although the team are considering alternative sites in Jordan.

For the first film, Villeneuve, the cast and crew worked overnight and the early mornings to avoid the scorching temperatures in Jordan. They also filmed in the Abu Dhabi desert and in the northern part of Norway in the area of Krakenes.

Part two is also set to return to Origo Studios in Budapest, Hungary.

Villeneuve is writing the script for the second film, alongside Jon Spaihts, based on the novel by Frank Herbert. He recently teased the plot, saying it will be “the journey where Paul Atreides (chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Ferguson), make contact with the Fremen culture and meet with the Fremen. It’s Paul’s journey against the enemy.”

Dune: Part Two’s producers are Cale Boyter, Mary Parent and Jessica Derhammer.

Additional cast members include Christopher Walken who joins as Emperor Shaddam IV, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Stellan Skarsgard.

HBO Max is also planning to do a spin-off series, Dune: The Sisterhood, which Diane Ademu-John will oversee.

Jordan is proving to be a popular filming location with Brandt Andersen’s drama feature The Stranger’s Case currently shooting in the capital city, Amman; and forthcoming shoots including Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins, which films from 29 May; and Indian film Goat Days, directed by Blessy Ipe Thomas.

Read our interview with Mr Mohannad Al Bakri, managing director of the Royal Film Commission Jordan.

Homepage image: (L-r) Director/co-writer/producer Denis Villeneuve and Zendaya on the set of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure Dune. Photo by Chiabella James