Where Was ‘Dune: Part Two’ Filmed?

The source material draws heavily from various Arab and Muslim cultures for the Fremen—what were you looking to for inspiration?

It’s really a mix of a lot of things. There’s Aztec and Mayan architecture, as well as Egyptian, Syrian, and Moroccan. You shake it and make it your own. For me, it’s a question of identity. Who are the Fremen, and what is their legacy? In the siege, there’s sand pouring into the Fremen’s stronghold. It’s a culture that’s fighting not to be forgotten, because it’s being buried literally. On the walls, they write their history, and as it gets more ancient there’s just fingerprints instead of language.

What about the Harkonnen planet, where in the world is closest to their planet?

Giedi Prime is inspired by septic tanks. Black, plastic, molded septic tanks. Because what are those Harkonnens? They are rats. This was all built on soundstages in Budapest.

Tell me about Budapest: What was it like to live there, what were you up to in your free time, and did you ever find aspects of that city seeping into your design?

Absolutely. Whenever I see an exhibit or see architecture, I’m a sponge. On Part One, I was walking in the old town of Budapest and saw a spectacular gate with an intriguing shape and structure. We approached the artist and got permission to use it as the gate through which the Fremen look at the palm trees inside the capital of Arrakis.

Most interiors for the film were shot on soundstages in Budapest, with Fremen architecture collaging ancient forms from the Aztecs and Mayans, as well as Egyptians and Syrians.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Budapest is a beautiful city, this is my third film that I’ve worked on there. Three years of my life, I’ve spent in Budapest. There’s a great photography scene there, Bob Capa is from there and I spent a lot of time there at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center.

For food, there’s Mazi which is a Greek restaurant near Parliament. There’s a great Italian restaurant, real Italians, Caffé Gian Mario, with one of the best pastas I’ve had in my life. Byblos, he used to be the chef at the Four Seasons over there, but he’s from Syria and he and his brother wanted to open their own place. It’s a fantastic place to eat. There’s Costes, there’s MÁK which is farm-to-table Hungarian food. Amazing. I’m a foodie, I admit it.