One of the reasons why the first “Dune” was so successful was its mix of sound stages and real-life locations. A decent portion of both films were shot in Abu Dhabi and Jordan to create a desert that felt both lived-in and real. In a chat with The New York Times before the release of the first “Dune,” director Denis Villeneuve discussed that it was important for his mental sanity to film in the desert. “You cannot do that with green screens,” he said about using real-life locations. “It’s not possible. Not for me. Maybe some people can, but not me.”
Filming in the desert has its fair share of challenges, as highlighted by Austin Butler. However, the actor was only brought on board for “Dune: Part Two,” limiting his time in Abu Dhabi. This wasn’t the case for Timothée Chalamet, who has been with “Dune” since the beginning. While speaking with Stephen Colbert to promote the first picture, Chalamet talked about how filming would happen at specific times so the cast and crew could beat the desert heat. “[…] it would get so hot during the day that sometimes you had to shoot between 5 AM and 7 AM and 5 PM and 7 PM,” he said, adding that the suits used by the characters to traverse through the desert were ironically bulky and sweaty, making filming particularly challenging.
As eager as Villeneuve was to film in the desert, he was also happy to have gotten a break between productions. “Both movies were made in very harsh conditions, and it’s very physically taxing, so to have a break in between them was a blessing,” the director told Entertainment Weekly.
