A new behind-the-scenes video for Dune shows the stunt-work preparation that created the Paul Atreides desert battle scene. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune stars Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto Atreides, whose powerful family takes over the planet Arrakis in order to mine the spice Melange, the most valuable commodity in the universe. However, House Atreides must battle another group, House Harkonnen, who controlled the planet for many years before them and aren't keen on letting it go. As a result, Paul is eventually stranded in the desert where he toils with his fate as Kwisatz Haderach and his relationship with the native people of the planet, known as the Fremen, as well as the visions of himself in the future.

Part of that vision is Paul leading the Fremen in battle throughout the desert, fighting their enemies to reclaim the planet after the betrayal that befell him. One such moment from the film has Paul, wearing a golden-armored suit, fighting off an attacking force of equal size and demonstrating almost superhuman skill in defeating them. At the end of the sequence, Paul reveals his face to show that it's him, now with the blue eyes of the Fremen.

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Now, a new BTS video from Secrets of Dune shows the work that went into that scene, with an amazing stunt-viz sequence designed by coordinator Roger Yuan and featuring stunt performer Remi Bakkar. The video shows the amount of planning and preparation that went into bringing the sequence to life, as the movements were carefully planned and executed. It's a tremendous demonstration of the skill and vision utilized to create such a moment, which is a highlight of the finished film. Take a look at the video below:

Dune was always a bit of a gamble, with Villeneuve filming the first half of the book with the hopes that it would generate enough interest to film the second half. Thankfully, the gamble paid off, as Dune is inching toward $300 million worldwide and the second half already greenlit by Legendary and WB, aiming for a theatrical-only release on October 20, 2023. It's unclear if Paul's "vision" will come to fruition as demonstrated here and in the film, but with the conflict on Arrakis now at its peak, expect to see even more stuntwork for part two.

Dune features a good amount of action and intense battles, but there's also a lot of setup and necessary exposition to get through, giving it more of a slow burn feel than an all-out epic battle sci-fi action film. Of course, author Frank Herbert's novel follows that line as well, so the first part of Dune is well in line with what should be expected. However, those seeking more action and confrontations will surely be pleased with Dune: Part Two, as there are many scenes and sequences that will require more great work from the stunt teams at hand, as the road to the resolution is far from peaceful.

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Source: Secrets of Dune

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