In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the sensational Timothée Chalamet gave fascinating insight into the extremities of the shoot for Dune, his upcoming film with Denis Villeneuve, based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert. In the middle of the Abu Dhabi desert, Chalamet recalls it being “probably 100 degrees” at their 2 a.m. call time, and how on some days the weather would reach up to “120 degrees.” On top of shooting here, they also shot in the mountains of Norway and Hungary to achieve the inter-galactic landscape Villeneuve was looking for, per Cinemablend. 

While this was by no means comfortable and certainly one of the most physically-taxing shoots Chalamet has ever done, it certainly helped him and his fellow cast members get acclimated to the idea of shooting on a distant, dangerous planet like the fictional Arrakis. Although they weren’t being hounded by giant, hungry sandworms like in the movie, the constant threat of heat exhaustion inside their confining “stillsuits,” as Chalamet calls them, surely allowed them to feel as if an invisible menace was always looming. 

The first installment of Dune is set to premier on December 18, 2020, and is one of the most hyped-up science fiction releases in recent memory, as it features Chalamet in his first action-centric role, as well as boasting other superstar cast members such as Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and many more.

The novel, Dune, is one of the most highly-championed science fiction novels of all time, praised for its complex storyline, enticing characters, and the intricate worlds that the story takes place in. It has been attempted to be remade a number of times by many filmmakers, including David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation, but none so far have succeeded in truly capturing the depth of the original story. Villeneuve, a master of sci-fi and action (Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) seems to be the best bet we currently have in successfully recreating Dune, and his all-star cast certainly provides even more promise in his doing so.