Javier Bardem can't wait to "go back to the desert" to film Dune 2, or Dune: Part Two, he told a crowd at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend, during a Q&A session with the Spanish actor.
He spoke freely on Denis Villeneuve's Dune sequel, about which not much is yet known.
“I’ve read the new draft and I think they’ve done an amazing job of putting together the pieces in a way that is gonna surprise people," he told a crowd at the Salle Bunuel on Friday, as reported by industry publication Deadline.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the cast of 'Dune':
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Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet Kynes, an Imperial Planetologist who was originally written as a man in Frank Herbert's novel. All photos: Chiabella James / Warner Bros Pictures -
Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica Atreides in 'Dune'. -
Ferguson plays Chalamet's mother in the sci-fi film. -
Zendaya stars as Chani, one of the native Fremen inhabitants of the planet Arrakis. -
Oscas Isaac plays Duke Leto Atreides, Chalamet's father. -
Josh Brolin as elite warrior Gurney Halleck. -
Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, a warrior who helps train Chalamet's character. -
A sequel to the film has now been confirmed. -
Scenes were filmed in Jordan and the UAE, as well as Budapest.
He said fans won't be surprised by what happens if they've read the book, "but they’ll be surprised by the way they put it together. I was very moved by it. It’s a movie that is full, and you can feel the weight of it, and at the same time ... the spectacularity of it."
Bardem said he'd be happy to go back to the desert, the setting for the film, with Villeneuve, who he described as "one of the greatest directors ever".
The film, which stars Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya, was shot in the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi in the summer of 2019. The vast open landscape was used as the setting for the planet Arrakis ― a dangerous place known for its exclusive supply of spice, the most essential and valuable commodity in the universe.
Whether or not the sequel will be shot in the UAE is still up in the air. The National understands negotiations are taking place, but neither the Abu Dhabi Film Commission nor twofour54, which handled local production on Dune, have given an official comment. Similarly, Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures have declined to comment, and none of the local crew we reached out to were able to confirm or deny if they’d been approached for Dune: Part Two.
After Dune opened last October to the highest-grossing opening weekend of director Villeneuve’s storied career, it came as no surprise when Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures promptly green-lit a sequel. It achieved a $41 million opening in the US, despite having to contend with the ongoing box office challenges presented by the pandemic and a same-day HBO Max streaming release.
A sequel had always been on the cards, however, as Villeneuve already split Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel in two for his film. It then went on to win six Oscars, the most of any film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Scroll through the gallery below to see all the winners from Oscars 2022:
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From left, Emilia Jones, Daniel Durant, Sian Heder, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger, Justin Maurer, Philippe Rousselet, Troy Kotsur and Amy Forsyth accept the Best Picture award for ‘Coda’ on stage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP -
Will Smith accepts the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for ‘King Richard’ onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP -
US actress Jessica Chastain poses with the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' in the press room during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP -
US singer-songwriter Finneas O'Connell, left, and US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish accept the award for Best Music (Original Song) for 'No Time to Die' onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP -
Bryon Howard, from left, Clark Spencer, Yvett Merino, and Jared Bush, winners of the award for Best Animated Feature Film for 'Encanto', pose in the press room at the Oscar Awards event on Sunday, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. AP -
Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia, winners of Best Live Action Short Film, pose in the press room during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood, California. Getty Images -
Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, right, accepts the award for Best International Feature Film for 'Drive My Car' onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP -
Kenneth Branagh, winner of Best Original Screenplay for 'Belfast', poses in the press room at the Oscars, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. AP -
Troy Kotsur poses with his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 'Coda' in the press room during the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony. EPA -
New Zealand Director Jane Campion poses with the Best Director award for 'The Power Of The Dog' in the press room. AFP -
Actress Ariana DeBose poses with her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for 'West Side Story' in the press room during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP -
Left to right, Joseph Patel, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson, David Dinerstein, and Robert Fyvolent pose with their Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 'Summer of Soul (. . . Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),' in the press room during the 94th annual Academy Awards. EPA -
The makeup and hairstyling team for 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' Linda Dowds, centre, Stephanie Ingram, left, and Justin Raleigh accepts the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Award at Oscars 2022. AFP -
Brian Connor, second from left, Paul Lambert, third from left, Gerd Nefzer, third from right, and Tristan Myles, second from right, winners of the Oscar for Best Visual Effects for 'Dune', pose with presenters Rachel Zegler, left, and Jacob Elordi, right, in the press room. EPA -
Spanish director and animator Alberto Mielgo, right, and Spanish producer Leo Sanchez show off their award for Best Animated Short Film for 'The Windshield Wiper' in the press room. AFP -
Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot with his Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film for 'The Queen of Basketball'. EPA -
Greig Fraser, winner of the Oscar for Cinematography for ‘Dune’, poses in the press room during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood, California. AFP -
British costume designer Jenny Beavan accepts the Oscar for Best Costume Design for 'Cruella' during the 94th annual Academy Awards. EPA -
British film editor Joe Walker poses with the Best Film Editing award for 'Dune'. AFP -
Patrice Vermette, left, and Zsuzsanna Sipos, winners of the Academy Award for Production Design for 'Dune', pose with their Oscar trophies in the press room. EPA -
The sound team of 'Dune', from left, Doug Hemphill, Theo Green, Mark Mangini, Ron Barlett, and Mac Ruth in the press room during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. AFP
Details about the sequel are thin on the ground for now. Villeneuve has said the earliest he expects to begin shooting is autumn of this year, and Dune: Part Two has a tentative release date of October 2023.
Those who are familiar with Herbert’s novel can probably predict some key plot points as Paul Atreides (Chalamet) rises to power among the Fremen in the ongoing battle for control of the spice of Arrakis.
Bardem plays Naib Stilgar, governor of Arrakis, in the film.
During the talk at Cannes, which was called Rendezvous with Javier Bardem, the No Country for Old Men actor also discussed a wide range of other topics, including how the industry has changed since his career began in the 1970s.
"When I started, it was different," he said. "You would do a role and you would spend the whole time preparing that role, and you would do the movie. It was a sacred thing, and then it would open and it would create a climate — it would mean something.
"Now, we are going so fast, and I feel sorry for the people who are starting out now. I don’t know what it means to be trying to make movies today as an actor, or director, or producer, or writer, because the rhythm is so different from where I started."
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor also touched on Sean Penn’s critically panned 2016 Cannes competition entry The Last Face, a love story in which Bardem played a relief worker. “It was a disaster," he said with a smile.
“But, let me tell you, it was a great disaster. It’s good to come to a festival like Cannes and be booed and be reminded that what we do can be horrific, because otherwise we think of ourselves too highly."
Best-dressed at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 closing ceremony — in pictures
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Andie MacDowell attends the closing awards ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France on May 28, 2022. EPA -
From right, Yousry Nasrallah, Felix Moati, Laura Wandel and Monia Chokri attend the Cannes closing ceremony. The festival ran from May 17 to 28. EPA -
Victoria Silvstedt. EPA -
Kat Graham. EPA -
Jury of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. EPA -
Caroline Scheufele and William Abadie. -
Irma Lake. EPA -
Soraya Azzabi. EPA -
Jessica Michel. EPA -
Javier Bardem. EPA -
Aja Naomi King. EPA -
Aleksander Gatsby, right, and Helena Gatsby. EPA -
Gemma Chan. EPA -
Carole Bouquet. EPA -
Rossy de Palma. EPA -
Zahra Amir Ebrahimi with the Best Actress award for her role in 'Holy Spider'. Reuters -
Amartei Armar. Getty Images -
Diane Kruger on stage. EPA -
Julia Hussein. Getty Images -
Lamia Alaoui. Getty Images -
Mai Vu. Getty Images -
William Abadie arrives for the closing ceremony. AFP -
Cannes juror Deepika Padukone arrives. AFP -
Diane Kruger, left, and Norman Reedus. AFP -
Victoria Bonya. Getty Images -
Maimouna Doucoure. Getty Images -
From left, Song Kang-ho, Hee-jin Choi and Joo-Young Lee. Getty Images -
Madalina Ghenea. Getty Images -
Isabeli Fontana. Getty Images -
Maria Borges. Getty Images -
Kat Graham. Getty Images -
Jury member Noomi Rapace on stage. Getty Images
