David Lynch, director of the previous Dune (1984), stated that he has "zero interest" in the new movie. He cited that his issues have nothing to do with director Denis Villeneuve but with his own painful memories of making the 1984 version: "Because it was a heartache for me. It was a failure and I didn't have final cut. I've told this story a billion times. It's not the film I wanted to make. I like certain parts of it very much - but it was a total failure for me."
Denis Villeneuve confirmed in a Vanity Fair article that his adaptation of Dune will be split into two films in order to ensure that the original story would be "preserved and not cut into a million pieces." However, contrary to the common practice of filming several installments back to back, only the first movie (which roughly covers the first half of the source novel) was greenlit and produced, with an optional sequel depending on how well the first film performed. A sequel was greenlit on the Tuesday after the film opened. According to production designer Patrice Vermette, the movie was originally supposed to end later in the story, but during pre-production, these final scenes were shifted to the sequel, meaning that some of the preparation for Dune: Part Two (2024) had already been done.
Donald Mowat initially considered creating custom lenses for the blue-eyed Fremen characters. However, VFX supervisor Paul Lambert and the Visual FX department ended up digitally adding the Fremen's iconic blue eyes during post-production. Mowat explained, "we did a couple of practical lenses at first for Zendaya and then I thought, 'who am I kidding? We're in the Middle East! There are sand storms, heat, and dust. It will be a disaster!'"
Composer Hans Zimmer is a big fan of the novel Dune, and turned down working with frequent collaborator Sir Christopher Nolan on Tenet (2020) to score this film. For the same reason, although Denis Villeneuve was the top choice to direct the Bond film No Time to Die (2021), he turned down the offer.
The scenes on the ocean world of Caladan were shot in Stadlandet, Norway. Much of the desert scenes on the desert world of Arrakis were shot in Jordan and Abu Dhabi, in the Middle East.
Roger Yuan: The film's fight coordinator, who developed the various fighting styles seen in the film, appears as an extra in the scene where Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) gives Paul (Timothée Chalamet) an Arrakis compass, at 55:50. Yuan reprises his role in Dune: Part Two (2024).