‘Dune 3’: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Denis Villeneuve Return to Abu Dhabi Desert That Doubles as Planet Arrakis in Behind-the-Scenes Images
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- Abu Dhabi Film Commission released behind-the-scenes images of 'Dune: Part Three' filming in the Liwa Desert, the Western Region oasis that has served as the landscape of planet Arrakis across all three films in the trilogy
- Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune: Part Three' concludes the trilogy, adapted from Frank Herbert's 'Dune Messiah' and set 17 years after Part Two, following Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides as a 'ruthless Emperor' grappling with rebellion, betrayal, and the reappearance of his 'long-lost love' Chani
- The Abu Dhabi shoot employed more than 600 UAE-based individuals over 31 days, supported by the emirate's 35% cashback rebate that can reach up to 50% of qualified below-the-line spend
- Legendary Entertainment's Herb Gains called returning to Liwa 'never in doubt,' praising the ADFC's support across all three films, while ADFC head Sameer Al Jaberi called the production 'a pivotal moment for the entire creative ecosystem of Abu Dhabi'
- Warner Bros. and Legendary will release 'Dune: Part Three' on Dec. 18, with Image Nation Studios serving as production partner and Epic Films as local production services provider
Why it matters: Abu Dhabi is cementing its pitch as a blockbuster production hub: a 35–50% cashback rebate and 600+ local crew powered a 31-day shoot for one of the year's biggest releases, and Legendary's Gains saying returning 'was never in doubt' signals the emirate has locked in repeat business on tentpole sci-fi franchises rather than one-off deals.
