Atlas Lens Co. builds custom IMAX lenses for Dune: Part Three

Atlas Lens Co. built bespoke IMAX spherical glass specifically for Dune: Part Three, and in a nice twist, Dune has IMAX exclusivity over Avengers: Doomsday on opening weekend in December. The spice must flow.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Atlas Lens Co. has hand-crafted a set of custom spherical IMAX lenses for Dune: Part Three, developed in close collaboration with director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Linus Sandgren.

The film is the first in the trilogy to shoot natively on IMAX 70mm film, and Sandgren drove the commission, wanting optics tailored specifically to the visual identity of the franchise. "I envisioned lenses that could create specific optical characteristics, particularly the flares, that would be unique to this film," he said. 

A lens history of Arrakis

The lens history of the trilogy reflects an interesting evolution of optical thinking. The first Dune (2021) used a combination of Panavision spherical and anamorphic lenses, plus Zeiss Super Speeds for specific dream sequences. The film won six Oscars, including best cinematography, for Greig Fraser.

For Part Two, Fraser moved to spherical only, augmenting the lens package with vintage and specialized glass including a rehoused Soviet-era Helios 44 and 1980s Moviecams. 

Pretty much the only place you can go after that is custom optics.

Cinematographer Linus Sandgren on the set of Dune Part Three ©NIKO TAVERNISE

New techniques

To deliver the project, Atlas used new design techniques and coating methods specifically for the IMAX format, expanding its machining capabilities, developing in-house coating equipment, and refining build and calibration processes. Forrest Schultz, president, co-founder and lead designer at Atlas Lens, described it as meeting the full demands of the IMAX experience.

Villeneuve said the lenses "allowed us to capture the essence of Arrakis in a way that was unique to this movie."

All three Dune films have been made under the Filmed for IMAX program, an exclusive partnership giving select directors access to IMAX's proprietary technology throughout production.

Dune: Part Three, based on Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah and produced by Legendary Entertainment, is released via Warner Bros. on December 18. It's going to be a busy week at movie theaters, as Avengers: Doomsday comes out the same day. DunesDay anyone?

Interesting side note: While Avengers: Doomsday shares the same December 18 release date as Dune: Part Three, it will not appear in IMAX in the US for at least three weeks due to Dune holding exclusivity on IMAX screens. The MCU film was originally scheduled for May 1, which would have avoided the clash entirely.