(Left-right:) Denis Villeneuve, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin on the set of “Dune: Part Two”.Photo:Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures
Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures
The universe ofDuneis vast — and notoriously difficult to squeeze into feature-length movies, as directorDenis Villeneuvehas learned.
Dune: Part Two, in theaters now, continues the events of Villeneuve’s 2021 hit sci-fi adaptation of the classic novel. AlthoughTim Blake Nelsonwascreditedas appearing in the sequel prior to release, his scene was evidently cut.
“I don’t think I’m at liberty to say what the scene was,” theBallad of Buster Scruggsstar toldMoviewebin an interview published Friday.
Villeneuve “had to cut it,” the actor added, “because he thought the movie was too long. And I am heartbroken over that, but there’s no hard feelings. I loved it, and I can’t wait to do something else with him and we certainly plan to do that.”
The French-Canadian filmmaker — credited asDune: Part Two’s director and co-writer, alongside Jon Spaihts — used authorFrank Herbert’s 1965 novelDuneas the source material for his two-part saga. But even separating the story into two parts meant having to sacrifice scenes, storylines and characters.
Tim Blake Nelson in 2023.Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty
Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty
“I’m very severe in the editing room,” Villeneuve, 56, toldColliderlast month. “Sometimes I remove shots and I say, ‘I cannot believe I’m cutting this out.’ I feel like a samurai opening my gut.”
The identity of Nelson’s character has not been confirmed, and it turns out that fans will not be able to catch a glimpse of him in any deleted scenes as part ofDune: Part Two’s upcoming Blu-Ray release.
“I’m a strong believer that when it’s not in the movie, it’s dead,” Villeneuve revealed to Collider. “I’m not thinking about my ego, I’m thinking about the movie… I kill darlings, and it’s painful for me.”
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The Oscar-nominated filmmaker also toldEntertainment Weekly— as part of their cover story featuring starsTimothée Chalamet,Zendaya,Austin ButlerandFlorence Pugh— that among the “painful choices” he faced in creating the two-part saga was removing a beloved figure introduced inPart One.
Stephen McKinley Henderson in “Dune”.Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures
Thufir is a Mentat, a type of being in Herbert’s books who can use their minds to calculate figures not unlike computers. The Tony Award-nominated Henderson, 74, could be seen mentoring young Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as their royal house moved from their native Caladan to the desert planet Arrakis.
In Herbert’s 1965 novel, Thufir remains a key part of the story after House Harkonnen’s deadly sabotage of the Atreides on Arrakis. Despite his absence from Villeneuve’sPart Two, the character survives the massacre in the source material.
“It’s the nature of the adaptation,” said Villeneuve of cutting Thufir from the sequel. “He’s a character I absolutely love, but I decided right at the beginning that I was making a Bene Gesserit adaptation. That meant that Mentats are not as present as they should be.”
Charlotte Rampling in “Dune: Part Two”.Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
While aPart Threehas not yet been confirmed, Villeneuve has indicated his dream is to make “at least three”Dunemovies, as he toldEWin 2021.
“It’s not that I want to do a franchise, but this isDune, andDuneis a huge story,” he said at the time. “In order to honor it, I think you would need at least three movies.”
Dune: Part Twois in theaters now.
source: people.com
