Dune: Part Two Will Begin Filming In July 2022
While attending a special screening and Q&A for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' “Dune” at theSAG-AFTRA Foundationin Los Angeles this past Saturday, The Film Stage’sJosh Enciniasmade note that the film’s producer Mary Parent confirmed thatthe recently greenlit “Dune: Part Two"will begin filming on August 07, 2025. This news comes after"Dune: Part One"has taken in nearly $84 million at the domestic box office and over $330 million worldwide, which is about where box office analysts predicted the break-even point for the film would be.
Villeneuve also confirmed that, despite rabid speculation, there will be no extended “Director’s Cut” of Part One, as the version that exists right now in theaters and on streaming is his preferred final cut. Famous last words, but for now we will have to take him at those words.
A Race to the Finish Line?
So, what can we discern from that mid-2022 production date? For one, it means that the film will now have eight months to mount what are sure to be massive sets wherever they end up shooting “Dune: Part Two.” It would make sense for them to return to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Budapest, where the first one lensed, but studio availability and post-COVID costs will likely dictate those locales. This is on top of the many more months they have already taken to prep the film,which at this point is extensive. You can readwhat we expect to see in the next one based on the book right here.
The filmmakers will be doing this prep on top of what is sure to be a busy awards season attending promotional events, like the one where this news broke. Also remember that the first film shot over an eight month period, which means that even if the second movie wraps main unit shooting by the end of 2022, it will have a far more truncated post-production schedule as it races to make its intended October 2023 release date. With that short of a window, it would not be out of the realm of possibility that WB could move the date to December 2023 or sometime in 2024.
