Approximately 40% of tourists have admitted to booking a trip to a destination simply because they saw it in a movie or TV series at least once in their lives. Therefore, it’s not surprising that whenever a blockbuster is released, viewers mass-search for the filming locations.
Undoubtedly, the current buzz revolves around the film Dune: Part Two by Denis Villeneuve, which many critics have already hailed as the best science fiction film in history. The sandy desert landscapes, majestic rocks, and futuristic buildings are truly mind-blowing and allure potential tourists.
Condé Nast Traveler interviewed the production designer Patrice Vermette, who worked on the film, to discover where exactly it was filmed.
According to him, for the shooting of the second part of “Dune,” multiple locations were utilized, some of which were also featured in the first film. For instance, the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan and the desert near Abu Dhabi in the UAE, where they captured the landscapes of Arrakis, as well as the coastline of Norway, where they filmed the native planet of Paul Atreides, Caladan.
“Every time you see rock formations, we’re in Jordan. Every time you see dunes, we’re in Abu Dhabi. Jordan doesn’t have real sand dunes, but it has amazing canyons and colorful stones. But the film is called ‘Dune,’ so we need sand dunes. In Abu Dhabi, we have it all,” the production designer shared.
For the filming of the second part of “Dune,” new locations were also used, including Italy, where they captured the palace of Emperor Shaddam IV. Specifically, the Brion Tomb in Italy, created between 1968-1978 by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa for an influential family, was chosen for the scenes. Later, this monument was recognized as a masterpiece of modernist architecture. The primary production, as in the case of the first part, was based in Budapest, Hungary. It was there that they filmed the planet of House Harkonnen, constructing special sets for this purpose.
