Prep on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movie is in full swing as casting heats up. We’ve now learned of some key people added to the visual effects team that have worked with Villeneuve before.

Framestore’s Richard R. Hoover (6 Underground) and Double Negative’s Paul Lambert (First Man) are expected to be working on the production’s visual effects as supervisors. The two were part of the team that earned an Oscar for their VFX work on Denis’ Blade Runner 2049.

Framestore’s recent VFX credits include Arrival, Avengers: Endgame, Deadpool 2, Captain Marvel, Detective Pikachu, Alita: Battle Angel, Avengers: Infinity War, Thor: Ragnarok, Alien: Covenant, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2, Ghost In The Shell, Doctor Strange, The Martian, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Guardians of The Galaxy.

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 assassinated, his son Paul and wife Lady Jessica escape only to be adopted by the Fremen, who 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.

It was recently revealed by Variety that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story cinematographer Greig Fraser has joined the production.

My previous reporting revealed a March production start in Budapest, Hungary at Origo Film Studios and could also film scenes on location in Jordan (Fraser shot Rogue One in Jordan) as the production team is scouting there.

Timothee Chalamet is reportedly set for the lead role of Paul Atreides, while Rebecca Ferguson is in talks to play his young mother Lady Jessica Atreides. They’re also currently seeking a non-white actress for the role of Paul’s Fremen love interest Chani.

A release date for the new Dune reboot film has yet to be made official.

SOURCE: HN ENTERTAINMENT