'Dune: Part Two' begins production this month in Italy

WASHINGTON: Legendary Entertainment's Dune: Part Two begins pre-production tomorrow in Altivole, Italy's Veneto region, and will last two days. Full production, with the majority of the actors returning, is set to begin on July 21 in Budapest, Hungary, where the 2021 title was also shot.

According to Deadline, the production is apparently taking place in Italy at the Carlo Scarpa-designed Brion Tomb, a modernist-looking locale that appears to be suitable for the Dune world.

Between 1968 and 1978, Scarpa built the concrete-structured space, which included a modest church, a reflecting pool, an arcosolium, and gardens with Byzantine and Japanese elements.

As we revealed last week, Warner Bros. has postponed the release date of the Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel from October 20, 2023 to November 17, 2023, just before Thanksgiving.

Original cast members Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin return, with new additions Lea Seydoux as Lady Margot, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Austin Butler.

Dune: Part Two was released on the same day as Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

We'll see whether both tentpoles air on the same weekend when marketing materials are released. Neither studio is backing down just yet. While Dune is intended for older males, The Hunger Games is aimed at young ladies. The filming of The Hunger Games begins in two weeks. Dune, produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Villeneuve, and Tanya LaPointe, earned $400 million worldwide and won six Oscars after being nominated for 10, including Best Picture.