If you caught Dune: Part Two in IMAX, you know how awesome the viewing experience was. That moment where Paul Atreides mounts the sandworm and the screen expands to that full 1.43:1 ratio was so damn cool and immersive!
Now, director Denis Villeneuve is going all-in for Dune: Messiah, making it one of only two Hollywood films ever shot entirely with full-screen IMAX 70mm cameras.
The news dropped on CNBC, where IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond casually dropped the bomb during a segment on upcoming releases. Here’s what he said:
“The next one that we’re doing that way is Dune 3. Denis Villeneuve is shooting the whole movie in IMAX film.”
A spokesperson for IMAX confirmed that Villeneuve will be using IMAX cameras, but stopped short of verifying Gelfond’s claim that the entire film will be shot this way. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. hasn’t officially commented.
The timing of the news is also interesting, especially considering Christopher Nolan currently has all the IMAX 70mm film cameras locked down while filming The Odyssey. Since there are only a few of these specialized cameras on Earth, Villeneuve will have to wait for Nolan to wrap before rolling on Messiah.
I was very happy with how the first two film’s turned out, and you can bet your ass, Dune: Messiah is going to be an absolutely massive cinematic experience as it’s shaping up to be the visual crescendo of the Dune franchise.
