Trivia for
"Dune" (2000) More at IMDbPro »

• After the production's completion and before its premiere, the Sci-Fi Channel authorized writer/director John Harrison to write and direct a sequel miniseries. Harrison planned to base the next miniseries on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. This eventually became the miniseries "Children of Dune" (2003), which Harrison wrote but did not direct.
  
  
• Earned the Sci-Fi Channel's highest ratings to date.
  
  
• The cinematographer used matte backgrounds for the "exterior" shots, painted on massive fabric sheets. The detail worked so well that it eliminated the need to film the exteriors in an actual desert, and allowed the filmmakers to create a film with production values on par with most big screen science fiction productions at a fraction of the cost.
  
  
• The design of the stillsuits was inspired by NASCAR cool suits, which pump chilled water through capillaries to keep its wearer from overheating (used also in Spawn (1997)).
  
  
• The spice blow cloud was inspired by repeated viewings of the nuclear detonation montage at the end of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).
  
  
• None of the guns actually worked; all muzzle flashes were added in postproduction.
  
  
• The glowing Fremen eyes effect was accomplished with special ultraviolet contact lenses and a UV-filtering camera lens. The Mahdi statue at Sietch Tabr was inspired by the same Buddha statues which were much later destroyed by the Taliban.
  
  
• The false spice in the scene where Gurney and Paul are reunited was really oregano.
  
  
• Most of the Fremen were played by Czech actors.
  
  
• Julie Cox is the narrator at the beginning of the movie.
  
  
• During production, Laura Burton grew so much that near the end of filming her custom-designed contact lenses (designed to help create the Fremen blue eyes effect) no longer fit her properly. They became extremely irritating in later scenes, and during the climactic deposition scene the director asked her to spare herself the discomfort and not wear them at all.
  
  
• Alice Krige turned down the role of Lady Jessica due to scheduling conflicts. She did, however accept the role in the sequel miniseries when Saskia Reeves proved unavailable.
  
  

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