Dune: Part II has officially begun production, and Warner Bros. has released the locations of where the highly anticipated sequel will be filming. Denis Villeneuve is returning to the director's chair for the follow-up, which will film in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, and Italy. Those first three locations served as filming spots for the previous film, while Italy marks a new location for the franchise, which could open the door to a brand new setting for the sequel.

Greig Fraser is returning to shoot the film, marking his second collaboration with Villeneuve. In the first Dune, Jordan served as the newly inherited planet of the Atreides', Arrakis. Budapest was the setting for some major action set pieces in the first film, specifically that of the Arrakeen invasion. The deserts where the Fremen resided were filmed in Abu Dhabi. Based on the parts still to tell from the original novel, it makes complete sense that all of these settings would remain locations for Part II.

Notably absent from the filming locations is the city of Stadlandet in Norway. This city was used to create Caladan, the home planet of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac). Given the story from both the novel and Part I, Caladan would not be included in Part II. It's not clear what the intended setting is for Italy, though new planets are sure to be explored in this sequel. Especially with new characters like the Emperor (Christopher Walken) and Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) entering the fold, there are undoubtedly more worlds to explore.

Filming commenced on Dune: Part II earlier this week. The story was left open at the end of Part I for a sequel, which Warner Bros. officially confirmed shortly after the original's release back in October. Following the first novel by Frank Herbert, the sequel will "explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee."

Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, and Stephen McKinley Henderson are all returning to reprise their original roles alongside Chalamet and Zendaya. In addition to Walken and Pugh, newcomers to the film include Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, as well as Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot and Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli.

Dune: Part II is set to hit theaters on November 17, 2023.

The official list of cast members that will be starring in the second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi epic has been revealed. With the news that Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment kicked off production on Dune: Part Two came the confirmation of which stars will be returning and which will be stepping on the sands of the unforgiving Arrakis terrain for the first time.

Dune: Part 2 will be picking up where the previous film left off. Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet will be returning as Paul Atreides on a mission to form an alliance with the Fremen in order to avenge his father and bring those who sought to wipe out his family to justice. Zendaya will also be returning as Chani and this time around will have a bigger role to play as an active participant in the narrative. Other returning members of the cast are Rebecca Ferguson as Paul’s mother Jessica Atreides, Javier Bardem as the Fremen leader Stilgar, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgård as the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Count Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, Charlotte Rampling as Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Mohiam, and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat.

New additions to the cast include Elvis’ star Austin Butler as the notorious Feyd Rautha Harkonnen, and veteran actor Christopher Walken will be portraying Emperor Shaddam IV. Rounding up the ensemble are Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, and Souheila Yacoub.

Villeneuve’s Dune premiered in theatres in October last year and was met with critical and commercial success. The two-and-a-half-hour-long movie was later rewarded with six Academy Award wins in many of the technical categories as well as a nod to award-winning composer Hans Zimmer for his astounding soundtrack.

Soon after the release of Dune in October, Villeneuve himself made a statement sharing the news that Part 2 had been greenlit: "I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with 'Dune: Part Two.' It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert's 'Dune' and I have the fans, the cast, and crew, Legendary and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream," Villeneuve said in a statement.

Dune: Part Two was written by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts. Villeneuve is also serving as producer along with Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick. Spaihts, Josh Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Richard P. Rubinstein and John Harrison are on board as executive producers.

Villeneuve’s adaptation is being filmed in different locations including Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, and Italy. Dune: Part 2 is set to premiere globally on November 17, 2023.

Check out the trailer for Dune below:

We’re rolling. Production on Dune: Part Two has begun. #DuneMovie pic.twitter.com/H31MTEcvcS

— DUNE (@dunemovie) July 18, 2022