Tim Blake Nelson, the actor who joined the cast of Dune: Part Two in an undisclosed role, has expressed his disappointment at being cut from the final version of the film.
Nelson said that he filmed a scene for the sequel, but it was removed by director Denis Villeneuve, who had to trim the movie down to 2 hours and 46 minutes.
The 59-year-old actor, who is known for his roles in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Watchmen, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, told MovieWeb that he had a great time shooting the undisclosed scene, but he understood that Villeneuve had to cut it for the sake of the movie.
He said that he was heartbroken, but he had no hard feelings towards the director and hopes to work with him again in the future.
Denis Villeneuve, who is acclaimed for his films such as Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and Dune: Part One, told EW that he had to sacrifice some characters and scenes from the book to make a coherent and compelling film. He said;
“When you adapt, there’s always some kind of violence toward the original material. You have to change things, you have to bend, you have to make painful choices.”
When speaking to Collider as well, the director admitted that he was very severe in the editing room, and that he did not think about his ego, but about the movie. He also revealed that he would not release any deleted scenes, as he believed that when they were not in the movie, they were dead.
“It’s painful, so I cannot go back after that and create a Frankenstein and try to reanimate things that I killed. It’s too painful. When it’s dead, it’s dead, and it’s dead for a reason. But yes, it is a painful project, but it is my job. The movie prevails.”
Dune: Part Two is the second half of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, Dune. The film continues the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the heir of a noble family who leads a rebellion against the tyrannical Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) and his ally, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård).
The sequel also features Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, , Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler, among many others.
Dune: Part Two has been met with critical and commercial success since its release, amassing more than a hundred and eighty million dollars upon its theater debut worldwide on March 1st.
