Legendary’s Dune reboot is slowly coming together as director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) is expected to round out the sizable cast for his Frank Herbert adaptation in the coming weeks/months. Trades have already reported that Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) and Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) are currently attached for the leading roles of Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica Atreides.

Set on the planet Arrakis, we find ourselves exploring the story of two warring galactic royal families House Atreides and House Harkonnen. When Duke Leto Atreides is been assassinated, his son Paul and wife Lady Jessica flee only to be adopted by the Fremen, becomes Paul’s personal army against the Harkonnen as he develops powers from the spice, a substance that extends life and powers interstellar travel. A tangled web of royal intrigue is revealed with the Emperor and other cosmic powers pulling the strings while attempting to erase house Atreides.

Pre-production is well underway and a new addition to the crew might have reaffirmed where it will be shooting.

We have now learned that Legendary has hired Csaba Toth as the film’s special effects coordinator which might reaffirm it’s Hungarian shoot. He previously had production roles on Tim Miller’s recent Terminator movie for Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate’s Robin Hood, both shot at Origo Films Studio in Budapest. Further cementing that Dune will be shooting there as it’s the same stage location that Villeneuve made Blade Runner 2049, I first reported that Dune would film in Budapest for OmegaUnderground.

Filming is expected to begin sometime in March.

The rest of Dune’s impressive production crew includes cinematographer Greig Fraser (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), production designer Patrice Vermette (Arrival, Sicario), costume designer April Renee (Blade Runner 2049), and stunt coordinator Thomas Struthers (The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, Inception).

An official release date for Dune has yet to be announced.

SOURCE: HN ENTERTAINMENT