Denis Villeneuve needed to add an "epic quality" to 'Dune: Part Two'.

The 56-year-old director has helmed the sci-fi sequel and explained that a different approach to the first film was needed as guerrilla warfare between Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and House Harkonnen takes place.

Denis told IndieWire: "It's the nature of the story. For the first movie, we are following Paul, who is discovering a world. It's more mediative, more contemplative, more him in contact with the elements.

"And for the second one, he becomes a man, a guerrilla fighter falling in love, and wants to avenge his father, and it's more of an action movie. We are confronted with the guerrilla warfare and the technology of the opponent. That will transform the old story and transform it into a war zone.

"So I had to add that epic quality. It was necessary to go there. There was no other way to approach that. I tried to make it as contained as possible in some ways, but I had to have that feeling of grandiosity and spectacle at the end."

The movie was shot in brutal heat in the desert and Denis took an exacting approach to the scenes, particularly one where Paul rides a sandworm to prove his manhood.

The 'Arrival' filmmaker said: "Everything that we shot in the deep desert was not easy, because I wanted a level of realism that required us to create giant structures or shadow makers in order to make the light believable.

"The characters and all the action sequences required a tremendous amount of prep, and logistics to protect the crew from the heat and to protect the stunts.

"The one scene that I didn't want to compromise at all was the worm ride. It technically required a lot of time and research and development. That was by far one of the most complex things I've ever done."