Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi movie Dune was one of the biggest film hits of last year, and is considered a visual masterpiece due to its Oscar-winning special effects and spectacular filming locations.
Adapted from Frank Herbert’s seminal novel of the same name, and the best selling science-fiction novel in history, the film tells story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he journeys with his aristocratic family to the planet Arrakis to complete duties for the Galactic Empire.
The planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, is a desert planet run rife with giant sandworms and almost devoid of precipitation, and the only planet where a special life-extending drug, melange, also known as ‘the spice’, can be derived.
The Atreides family face a trap laid for them there by their rivals, the Harkonnens. Paul and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) find themselves in the desert and face to face with the planet’s mysterious native population, the Fremen.
The stellar cast also includes Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård, Sharon Duncan-Brewster and Josh Brolin.
The film won six Oscars, including Best Music for Hans Zimmer‘s score, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Film Editing.
Production on its sequel Dune 2 was underway in July this year, with Florence Pugh joining the cast. It’s set for release in November 2023.
Dune’s stunning visuals are also attributed to the movie’s unique locations from across the world. Read on for the film’s locations below.
Oceanic world of Caladan – Stadlandet, Norway
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The oceanic world of Caladan, the bucolic and verdant ancestral home of Paul Atreides, was filmed in Stadlandet, in Norway. In the novel, Frank Herbert describes Caladan as a rich and fertile ocean world.
Stadlandet is a peninsula in Stad municipality, surrounded by fjords and located between the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea. It’s revered for its beautiful sandy beaches, dramatic weather and unique cultural history.
Arrakis – Wadi Rum, Jordan
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Known for its harsh environment, Arrakis is the desert planet Paul Atreides travels to, leaving his lush oceanic world behind.
Arrakis is set in Wadi Rum, which is also known as the Valley of the Moon, a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan. A protected world heritage site, Wadi Rum also contains extensive rock art, inscriptions and archaeological remains, having been inhabited over the last 12,000 years.
Wadi Rum is also one of Jordan’s most popular tourist sites, since featuring in 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia.
Arrakis – Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates
Some of the Arrakis scenes were also filmed in the Liwa Oasis, a large oasis area in the western region of Abu Dhabi. The tranquil oasis is situated at the edge of the United Arab Emirates’ greatest desert region of Rub al Khali, and it remains a date-palm cultivating region for local bedouin tribes, including the Bani Yas.
It’s open to tourists, with resorts located throughout the region. The rock shelters used by the Fremens were filmed in the Rub al Khali desert, while shots of the ornithopters in the air were captured by helicopters flying over the UAE.
Arrakeen invasion – Budapest, Hungry
The battle for Arrakeen, fought between Muad’Dib Paul Atreides’s Fremen and the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV’s Imperial forces of Sardaukar, was filmed in Budapest at Origo Film Studios.
Filming for Dune Part 2 began production in July this year in Budapest, Hungary.
Dune is available to stream on NOW. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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