The endless dunes of the Liwa Desert are about to become Arrakis again. Legendary Entertainment has confirmed that the third installment of the cinematic saga Dune, , produced by Denis Villeneuve., will once again be filmed in the United Arab Emirates. An anticipated return, which consecrates Abu Dhabi as one of the most coveted film sets in the world.
The Liwa Desert, Arrakis in full size
While science fiction often uses digital technology to recreate universes, Villeneuve has always emphasized the power of real settings. To depict the planet Arrakis, the central theater of the power struggles of the Atreides dynasty and the Fremen, the choice of the Liwa desert was obvious. His monumental dunes, its golden horizon and its almost timeless atmosphere offer a tangible embodiment of the world imagined by Frank Herbert in 1965.
This choice is not insignificant: the materiality of the sand, the changing light of the desert, the roughness of the landscapes give the films a sensory authenticity that no green screen could match. After having sublimated these settings in Dune, (2021) et Dune : Part Two (2024), Villeneuve and his team intend to push the immersion even further in this third chapter.
A strategic and international shoot
Filming in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for later this year, will benefit from considerable logistical and institutional support. Creative Media Authority (MAC), Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) and the studio Image Nation Abu Dhabi will be the key partners in the production.
This partnership illustrates the emirate's ambitious strategy: to attract the biggest Hollywood franchises by highlighting both its landscapes and attractive economic incentives, including the ADFC expense reimbursement program. This system has already attracted major productions such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Fast and Furious 7, Mission: Impossible, Fallout or, 6 Underground.
In total, more than 180 international productions have already found a unique playground in Abu Dhabi, confirming the emirate's rise as a global cinema hub.
Abu Dhabi's cultural ambition
Behind these major filming events lies a political and cultural desire: to make Abu Dhabi a creative capitalThe CMA, created to develop a complete audiovisual ecosystem, focuses on training (with creativelab et Arab Film Studio), financing and development of local talent.
Image Nation Abu Dhabi, a long-standing partner of local and international productions, plays a key role in this movement. An Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning studio, it aims to reveal the region's imaginations while collaborating with the biggest names in the world. The reception of the filming of Dune 3 confirms this guideline: opening up to the world while stimulating regional creation.
Denis Villeneuve and the Dune Odyssey
With this third film, Denis Villeneuve. continues its monumental adaptation of Frank Herbert's saga. After the rise of Paul Atreides and the epic clashes against House Harkonnen, the story should explore in greater depth themes dear to Herbert: the temptation of power, the dangers of messianism and the complexity of imperial dynamics.
The franchise has already achieved resounding critical and commercial success. Dune, (2021) won six Oscars, including for cinematography and visual effects, while Dune : Part Two confirmed the viability of an ambitious saga, mixing political reflection and total spectacle. Legendary et Warner Bros. are therefore banking on this new opus to consolidate one of the strongest franchises of the decade.
Chalamet and Zendaya, the new faces of Arrakis
Beyond the visual power and universal themes, the success of the first two parts of Dune, owes a lot to its casting, in particular to the duo formed by Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides) and Zendaya (Chani). Their on-screen chemistry has captured the attention of a global audience, blending dramatic intensity with emotional fragility. Chalamet aptly embodies the complexity of Paul, torn between messianic destiny and personal doubts, while Zendaya offers Chani a magnetic force, somewhere between a rebellious heroine and a personal figure of resistance.
Their presence helped to attract a younger audience, significantly expanding the saga's audience beyond just science fiction fans. Becoming true cultural icons, Chalamet and Zendaya bring a generational dimension to the story, where Frank Herbert's epic reinvents itself through faces that speak as much to moviegoers as to new communities of connected fans. In this third installment, their duo promises to further assert itself as the emotional heart of the story, between love, betrayal, and the quest for freedom.
The Cultural Impact of Dune: A Visionary Saga
Since the publication of Frank Herbert's novel in 1965, Dune, has become much more than a work of science fiction literature: it is a modern myth, a fresco that has shaped the collective imagination. Its themes—ecology, power, religious fanaticism, colonization, and resource exploitation—resonate even more strongly today, in a world facing climate and energy crises.
The influence of Dune, is such that we find it in many later works, of Star Wars à Matrix, through fantasy novels and video games that have taken up the idea of desert planets, galactic dynasties or oppressed peoples in search of freedom. Each adaptation to the cinema revives this intergenerational worship, giving substance to such powerful symbols as Paul Atreides, the Fremen or even the spice of mixtures, a clear metaphor for human dependence on rare resources.
Denis Villeneuve's work has amplified this legacy: by anchoring the saga in a realistic, sensory and monumental aesthetic, he has succeeded in seducing both purists of the novel and new spectators. Thus, Dune, is no longer just a cult work of science fiction: it has become a cultural and political mirror, an initiatory story that questions our contemporary societies while offering a total cinematic experience.
A production that goes beyond cinema
For Abu Dhabi, hosting the filming of Dune 3 is not just a question of prestige: it is also an economic and cultural lever. Each blockbuster shot on its soil generates a direct impact : local jobs, tourism benefits, international visibility. The Liwa Desert, already a popular destination for fans after the release of the previous films, could experience a new boom as a cinematic hotspot.
Beyond the screen, a global dynamic is taking hold: a dialogue between Hollywood and the Middle East, between a cult science fiction saga and a very real territory that has become a legendary setting.
By confirming the filming of Dune 3 in Abu Dhabi, Denis Villeneuve and Legendary Entertainment reaffirm the strength of a unique marriage: that between the imagination of Frank Herbert and the ancient landscapes of the Liwa desert.
This choice not only establishes the saga as one of the greatest contemporary cinematic frescoes, but also Abu Dhabi as a key player in the global film industryWhere sand becomes scenery, and fiction meets reality, one thing is certain: Arrakis now has a real address, in the heart of the United Arab Emirates.
Ema Lynnx
