Stellan Skarsgård is praising the “enormous sets” behind “Dune: Part Two” as another reason why practical effects trump green screens.
The actor compared the upcoming Denis Villeneuve-helmed sequel to the “Star Wars” Disney+ series “Andor” during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The “Andor” production built an entire outdoor city for the series, similar to the large-scope practical effects behind “Dune.”
“I was very happy to be in that kind of ‘Star Wars’ universe and not like in many films, where you’re just in the world of green screens,” Skarsgård said. “Because it affects you physically when you have the set. You can’t deny that. It was the same thing with the sets on ‘Dune.’ They are physically there, these enormous sets, and you feel it in your body. You move differently.”
He added, “We had all of Ferrix built up as this city. It’s very exciting.”
“Dune: Part Two” is set to open in theaters November 3. Lead star Chalamet admitted he was “blindsided” by the production scale of the first “Dune” film. Director Villeneuve also teased that the entirely IMAX-shot sequel is the “main course” of the epic sci-fi saga, compared to the “appetizer” of the debut movie.
“‘Part Two’ is more action-packed, epic war movie, much more bulk, much more dance,” Villeneuve said during 2023 CinemaCon. He added that while this is a resurrection of Arrakis, the film features entirely new sets and designs.
Skarsgård plays the villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in the “Dune” films, spending much of his time on set in the makeup chair to suit up for the character’s sinister, ink-black look. Joining him in the cast this time are Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler, along with the regular cast of “Dune: Part One.”
“Dune: Part One’s” sets earned the film the Academy Award for Best Production Design.
For all the details on “Dune: Part Two,” click here.
