Where was Dune filmed? Guide to All the Filming Locations
Posted by Ra Moon
Dune is the story of the Atreides family, sent by the galactic emperor to a dangerous desert planet which is the source of the most valuable substance in the universe. Powerful clans fight to control the supply of Melange, the spice that allows humans to navigate through deep space.
To create this visually arresting world, most of the filming locations appearing in the movie are real. The new Dune was filmed in Norway, Budapest, Jordan, and the UAB in the Middle East.
To create this visually arresting world, most of the filming locations appearing in the movie are real. The new Dune was filmed in Norway, Budapest, Jordan, and the UAB in the Middle East.
The big challenge of director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) was to adapt the complex, massive, sophisticated original 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert into a big-screen, quality blockbuster for larger audiences.
The second part of this mythical space opera, which inspired the Star Wars saga, will be greenlighted by the studios if the movie performs well on its premiere on HBO.
Welcome to Arrakis and our spoiler-free guide to the filming locations of Dune.
Dune Filming Locations
The scenes on the homeworld of House Atreides, Caladan, were filmed in Norway.
The big forked rock is the mountain cliff of Kinn Island, known by the locals as Kinnaklova.
According to Western Norway Film Commission, the island is inhabited permanently by only a couple of people and a herd of goats.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Kystpilgrimsleia Rogaland - Map
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Kystpilgrimsleia Rogaland - Map
The scene pictured and the sandy beach with boulder rocks where Paul watches his last sunset before departing for Arrakis were filmed in Myresanden in the Stad or Stadlandet Peninsula.
This spot is located near the westernmost point in Norway on the gorgeous and rough Nordfjord Coast.
The Atreides are allegedly of Greek descent, although Caladan is very similar to Caledonia, the Latin for Scotland. Also, the soundtrack includes the sound of Scottish bagpipes.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Villeneuve said that one of the conditions he requested to make the movie was that he wanted to shoot on location in a real desert.
The director sought to inspire the entire cast and crew with the spirituality and mysticism of such a fascinating place.
The Fremen are the long-settled tribes adapted to survive in the remotest regions of Arrakis.
The scenes in the movie filmed in the rocky areas of the planet were filmed in Wadi Rum, a large designated protected area in Jordan.
You've probably seen this dramatic scenery in many other productions including Lawrence of Arabia, Prometheus, The Martian, Rogue One, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Aladdin.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The scenes showing the vast immensity of the open desert infested with monstrous sandworms were filmed across 11 days at the Liwa Desert in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula (United Arab Emirates).
Considered one of the most beautiful rolling dunes landscapes in the world, the 5-star Qasr Al Sarab Resort is an oasis located in the middle of the desert, ideal to host film crews.
Also, the colossal 300 meters tall Moreeb Dune, situated nearby in this area known as the “Empty Quarter”, comes very handy to record the stunning aerial footage of Arrakis.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The local people of the fortress city in Arrakis are inspired by the Muslim culture, but the Arrakeen Palace on top seems out of the Teotihuacan archaeological complex in Mexico.
The pyramid of Giedi Prime, homeworld of House Harkonnen, also recalls the Blade Runner 2049's Tyrell Corporation building, shrouded by artificial lights in the darkness of the night.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Carlos Van Vegas - Map
The movie was headquartered at the sound stages at Origo Studios in Budapest, Hungary, the same ones where Blade Runner 2049 was created.
The production occupied enormous, spooky sets, employing as many practical effects as possible, making minimal use of green screens.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Two bodies of the cool dragonfly-like 'Thopter' or 'Ornithopter' aircraft were built full-scale on the studios.
Hans Zimmer composed the superb score, featuring a soundscape played with effects made with new digital instruments created for the movie.
Don't they look a bit like the Starks? Denis Villeneuve assembled an extraordinary cast to "create Star Wars for adults".
Dune stars Timothée Chalamet (The King, Little Women) as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson (Doctor Sleep, Mission: Impossible) as Paul's Bene Gesserit mother, Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac (Star Wars, Moon Knight) as Duke Leto Atreides, Josh Brolin (Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as weapons master Gurney Halleck, Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) as Duncan Idaho, and Zendaya (Euphoria, Spider-Man) as the young Fremen woman, Chani.
Completing the main cast are Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Skyfall) as the Fremen leader, Stilgar, Stellan Skarsgård (Pirates of the Caribbean, Chernobyl) as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, See) as Glossu Rabban of the House Harkonnen.
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Ra Moon
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