This collection isn’t just a behind-the-scenes look. It’s a portrait of a world—seen through the eyes of someone who understood it completely.
Greig Fraser, Academy Award-Winning Cinematographer, from his preface
From Budapest, Hungary, and Altivole, Italy to the desserts of Jordan and Abu Dhabi, the making of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two took the filmmakers, cast, and crew across the world—and photographer Niko Tavernise was there to capture it all. This deluxe book contains hundreds of images from the movie’s set, selected from the photographer’s prolific archives.
Featuring stunning vistas and candid moments between Denis Villeneuve and cast members—including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh—this visually stunning book brings readers on a journey through the creation of one of the brilliantly crafted movies of the 21st century.
Curated from thousands of photos taken by unit photographer Niko Tavernise throughout the filming of Dune: Part Two, this visually stunning volume highlights awesome photos of the cast, crew, and vistas from the set. Dive behind the scenes of the making of Dune: Part Two and explore candid moments on set, including never-before-seen images of the cast.
You think of a desert as dry – arid like Jordan. But that’s not so here. The water table is so close to the surface that moisture is everywhere. Driving in the darkness to set in the morning, we had to put flashers on and drive five miles per hour so we wouldn’t drive over the edge of a sand dune in the fog. As soon as it lifted, it was muggy and blazingly hot – and this was during the cool season. The sun was painfully oppressive here, and then there were the costumes some cast members had to wear that had glass helmets, which if you think about it became skull greenhouses – just add running and fighting and explosions.
The UAE also featured endless sand dunes rising high up into the sky, and when you climbed to the top of one of these giant dunes, you would see an expanse of orange-yellow sand for miles and miles. Against the shockingly blue sky, I witnessed color wheel opposites for as far as the eye could see. A crew had come in before us and laid down plastic tracks and sandbags for steps on the numerous set locations so we could hump our gear in without sinking in the deep sand. All day, we were basically walking with our gear on our backs up and down dunes, sometimes in single file so our footprints wouldn’t show up on camera.
We also did these micro units where it was maybe twenty or thirty of us at a remote area that was hard to get to and film Josh and Timothée or Timothée and Zendaya while the sun was setting or rising. These were my favorite moments in the UAE, since it was just a small footprint of gear and people. On these occasions, I was glad to be able to capture moments that were always harder with fifty people standing around or in front of me.
I did take many moments of my day to walk away from everyone and the set and just drink in the expanse and savor the relief when a small gust of wind cooled me down. These shoots were definitely the most physically demanding of this entire adventure, and they were also our last bit of time together. We wrapped with Zendaya planting a worm thumper as the sun set over the dunes. Her silhouette stood out against a bright reddish-orange dune. She unsheathed her two worm talons, and Denis yelled “Cut!” We all hugged and had some champagne on the dune, and then packed and went our separate ways.
Niko Tavernise
Niko Tavernise. You don’t notice him at first. That’s the point. He moves like a ghost, something just outside your peripheral vision. Then—click. The shot is his. You never see it happen. You only see the proof later… This book is filled with those moments. The ones you weren’t supposed to see. The ones that would have passed unnoticed, unmarked. But Niko was there. And so they remain.
Academy Award-Nominee Austin Butler, from his foreword
Author
Niko Tavernise is an editorial, portrait, and feature film photographer. His work has been published in outlets such as The New York Times, Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR. His features include Dune: Part Two, Challengers, West Side Story, Black Swan, and Joker, among others.
Afterword
Kevin J. Anderson is the critically acclaimed science fiction author of more than 140 novels, 56 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He is also well known for his numerous novels in the Dune universe with Brian Herbert, as well as many Star Wars, X-Files, Star Trek, Batman, and Superman novels. He has written comics for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, IDW, BOOM! Studios, Topps, Insight Editions, and others. He has won or been nominated for the highest awards in the field, including the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Bram Stoker.
About Insight Editions
Insight Editions pushes the boundaries of creativity, design, and production with award-winning books and collectibles. From collaborations with innovators like James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro to partnerships with global brands including Warner Bros. and Disney, Insight Editions creates stories and experiences for fans, readers, and seekers of all ages that transcend the page. The dynamic catalog ranges from pop culture to photography to cooking to nature conservation. Learn more at insighteditions.com.
About Legendary Entertainment
Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $20 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com
