How Liwa Desert is a Major Part of Dune Franchise

The newly released teaser trailer for Dune: Part Three opens with sweeping shots of Abu Dhabi's Liwa Desert, the same landscape that has stood in for the fictional planet Arrakis across all three films in Denis Villeneuve's trilogy. The film is set for release in December 2026, distributed by Warner Bros. worldwide.

Sameer Al Jaberi, head of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, said it was a moment of pride to see Liwa showcased in the opening scenes of the teaser. The commission is continuing its collaboration with Legendary Entertainment on the final chapter's official release and promotion.

How Abu Dhabi Liwa Desert Filming Grew With Each Dune Film

Abu Dhabi's involvement in the franchise has expanded significantly from one film to the next. The first Dune, released in 2021, featured only a handful of shoot days in the UAE, with the bulk of desert filming carried out in Jordan's Wadi Rum. By Dune: Part Two, Liwa had become the primary stand-in for Arrakis. Production spent nearly a month in the UAE, with a full-scale desert village constructed on location and more than 1,000 crew and cast members working on site. Roads were laid across the desert to connect more than 20 filming locations, and a temporary settlement built from repurposed containers housed the production.

For Dune: Part Three, that progression is complete. While interior studio work was carried out at Origo Studios in Budapest, all exterior desert sequences were filmed exclusively in Abu Dhabi. Production began in July 2025 and wrapped in late 2025.

Support for the film was provided by the Creative Media Authority Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, with Image Nation Abu Dhabi serving as a production partner and Epic Films as the local production service provider.

Why Denis Villeneuve Keeps Returning to Film Dune in Abu Dhabi

Director Denis Villeneuve has consistently pointed to Liwa's specific visual qualities as the reason for returning. The desert sits within the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, one of the largest continuous sand deserts in the world, with dunes reaching up to 300 meters. Villeneuve has described its scale and texture as unmatchable, and the atmospheric haze it produces has become central to the franchise's visual language.

For the first film, production deliberately filmed during the UAE summer months to take advantage of the more diffused light and haze that the season produces. For Part Three, while much of the film was shot on 65mm and IMAX formats, Villeneuve also used digital cameras for desert sequences, drawn to how they captured what he described as the brutality of the environment.

Mohamed Dobay, acting director general of the Creative Media Authority, said the repeated return of the production reflects not only the landscape but the full ecosystem around it, including private sector production companies and government services.

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Dune Part Three Cast on Filming in Abu Dhabi Desert

Jason Momoa, who reprises his role as swordmaster Duncan Idaho, said filming in the Liwa Desert was among the most memorable experiences of his career. He described the early morning and late evening shoots as unlike anything else, and said his phone was full of personal photographs taken during downtime between takes at dusk and dawn.

Momoa has visited the UAE for more than 15 years and described the contrast between the energy of the city and the stillness of the dunes as a defining part of the experience.

Robert Pattinson, who joins the cast for Part Three as the villain Scytale, described the heat on set as severe enough to affect his ability to think clearly.

The returning cast also includes Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya as Paul and Chani, along with Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Anya Taylor-Joy. The film is written by Villeneuve and Brian K. Vaughan, and is based on Frank Herbert's novel Dune Messiah, picking up 17 years after the events of Part Two. Dune: Part Three releases in UAE cinemas on December 17, 2026.