Maps of Movies
Dune (2021)
Where Dune says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
The desert planet is imaginary: the sand is Jordan, the UAE and a Budapest backlot
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Scenes and places
Chani's dream of the desert planet
A young woman's voice describes the beauty of a desert planet when the sun is low, while the narration sets out why outsiders fight over it. The scene frames Arrakis as a home worth defending before Paul ever sets foot there.
Set in Arrakis (fictional) — The desert planet where nearly all the film takes place, the only source of the spice.
A harsh desert planet and the sole source of the spice that makes interstellar travel possible.
Filmed at Wadi Rum, Jordan — Desert scenes doubling for Arrakis were filmed here. The sources do not say which individual shot. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Leto and Paul before leaving Caladan
On the eve of the move to Arrakis, Duke Leto tells Paul to sit in on his Council and learn what he does. Paul asks what happens if he is not up to the job. Leto explains the plan to win the planet through an alliance with its native Fremen rather than by force.
Set in Caladan (fictional) — The Atreides home world, ruled by air power and sea power.
The Atreides home world, where Leto says the House has ruled by air power and sea power.
Filmed at Stadlandet (Stad peninsula), Norway — Stadlandet doubled for Caladan. The sources name the peninsula, not a specific viewpoint. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Welcome to Arrakis
House Atreides lands on Arrakis. The Imperial Ecologist, Dr. Liet Kynes, greets the Duke with the words 'Welcome to Arrakis' and checks the integrity of his Fremen-made stillsuit. The scene shows how the new rulers depend on local knowledge to survive.
Set in Arrakeen, the Atreides seat (fictional) — The main settlement of Arrakis, where House Atreides takes over from the Harkonnens.
The Atreides seat on Arrakis, whose shields are later brought down from within.
The harvester and the sandworm
Kynes flies Leto and Paul over the desert to show the spice sands. A harvester is caught by a sandworm and the party rescues its crew. The spice in the air triggers intense premonitions in Paul.
Set in Spice fields of Arrakis (fictional) — Open desert where crawlers harvest the spice under the threat of sandworms.
Spice beds show as colour on the sand, which is why crawlers work them under spotter aircraft.
Filmed at Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates — Liwa served as a key backdrop for Arrakis over 11 days of filming, and helicopter footage shot over the UAE was reference for the ornithopters. The sources do not tie it to this exact scene. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Hilltops outside Budapest, Hungary — Ornithopter interiors were filmed on hilltops outside Budapest on a sand-colored ramp circling a large gimbal. The position is the city centre only; no exact hill is given. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The fall of Arrakeen
The shields come down and the Harkonnens and Sardaukar strike every settlement at once. Yueh, the Atreides doctor, has betrayed the House by disabling Arrakeen's shields. Paul and his mother are cut off from the Duke's forces.
Set in Arrakeen (fictional) — The Atreides seat, invaded by the Harkonnens and the Sardaukar.
The Atreides seat on Arrakis, its defence resting on shields that Yueh disables.
Filmed at Budapest backlots, Hungary — Parts of the Arrakeen invasion, including practical explosions, were filmed on backlots in Budapest. The position is the city centre only; no exact lot is given. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Into the rocks of the deep desert
Paul and Jessica land high in the desert and run for the rocks, with only a plan to find the Fremen. They plan to cross worm territory after dark by walking without rhythm, the way the Fremen do.
Set in Deep desert, Arrakis (fictional) — Far from any settlement, where only the Fremen can live.
Rock formations that the film uses as heat shelters in the deep desert.
Filmed at Rub' al Khali desert — Scenes with the rock formations that serve as the Fremen's heat shelters were filmed in the Rub' al Khali. The coordinate is the centre of the whole desert, so it is only a rough location. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Characters
- Paul Atreides — The young heir of House Atreides, trained in Bene Gesserit ways, who has troubling visions of the future.
- Lady Jessica — Duke Leto's concubine and Paul's mother, an acolyte of the Bene Gesserit.
Questions answered on the map
- Where is the desert planet in Dune really filmed?
- Which real coast stands in for Caladan in Dune?
- Where was the fall of Arrakeen filmed?