Dune 2 shooting locations revealed: UAE’s Liwa Oasis provides desert landscape of Arrakis

‘Dune: Part Two’, starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, has been enjoying a glorious ride at the box office since March 1. Considering the crazy momentum, it is difficult to predict the overall success of Denis Villeneuve’s smash hit sci-fi on the global stage.

If you haven’t caught the film yet, you’re certainly in for a treat. Epic desert battles, giant subterranean worms and vicious intergalactic scheming – it has got it all. Plus, there is a stunning cast that features at least two of your favourite actors.

To film it, the director headed back to Jordan, augmented by a location in the UAE, soundstages in Hungary and even a fresh location in Italy. It is the first time a movie has been allowed to shoot at Italy’s Brion Tomb, a 20th-century architect Carlo Scarpa’s masterpiece.

Jordan was used extensively in the first sequel and for the second installment, the crew found fresh locations in the country. In addition, the people delved deep into the Arabian desert this time and spent almost a month shooting in Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Oasis.

Dune 2 team returns to UAE for second installment

Director Denis Villeneuve praised the location and services provided by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and UAE-based production services company Epic Films in a promotional BTS footage, reported Variety. The magazine has been given exclusive access to the video.

The promo also features testimonials from Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem and cinematographer Greig Fraser. The director noted: “‘Dune’ is about the relationship of humans with nature … It was important for me to bring that nature to the screen.”

So after shooting for five days in the massive UAE desert for the first part, the entire team returned for the second installment and spent 27 days amid Liwa’s towering rolling dunes on the edge of Rub’ Al Khali, the largest stretch of uninterrupted desert on the planet.

Legendary Pictures also benefited from a generous 30% cashback rebate on production spend within the emirate. Executive producer Tanya Lapointe said: “It was a huge endeavour, but it was spectacular.” She also served as the second unit director on Dune 2.

UAE local talent plays substantial role in Dune 2

The main challenge this time around involved the logistics. Director Villeneuve didn’t want to repeat locations already used for Dune: Part One. Therefore, the team had to go deeper into the Arabian desert, closer to the Saudi border, in search of new places for shooting.

Local UAE crew and talents have enjoyed a substantial involvement in the sequel. It has been reported that close to 300 locally-based crew and contractors were used on the production, compared to roughly 250 international crew who came over.

Even in terms of background extras, there were almost 500 local extras – a substantial number used throughout the 27 days of shooting. The team also received assistance from other departments and vendors closely connected to ADFC and the Abu Dhabi municipality.

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort served as the service point. The place has been praised for its facilities and great location. In addition, the crew also decided to build a camp as they had realised early on that there could be challenges in terms of bed numbers.