Dune 2 director explains “painful” choice to exclude key character

Dune: Part 2 director Denis Villeneuve has explained why the key character of Thufir Hawat was excluded from the sequel, despite introducing him in the first film.

After a three-year wait, the second chapter in Villeneuve’s acclaimed Dune series is now in theaters around the globe. Setting the box office on fire in short order, the new installment has already grossed just shy of $200 million, giving it the biggest opening weekend of 2024 thus far.

Also now marking the biggest opening weekend for any of Villeneuve’s flicks, it’s clear the sequel has struck a chord. However, it may not be as faithful to the source material as some diehard fans were hoping.

Various characters are overlooked to ensure the film wasn’t 10 hours long, though one exclusion was more “painful” than the rest. Villeneuve has explained why Thufir Hawat didn’t get any screen time in Part 2, despite appearing in the first film.

Thufir Hawat, a Mentat effectively serving as a human computer for the Atreides family in the first film, was notably absent in Part 2. Despite planning for the character to return in the second installment, Villeneuve ultimately made the “painful choice” to pivot.

“He’s a character I absolutely love,” Villeneuve told Entertainment Weekly. “But I decided right at the beginning that I was making a Bene Gesserit adaptation. That meant Mentats are not as present as they should be. It’s the nature of the adaptation.”

Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson evidently filmed for Dune Part 2 before having his scenes cut in the editing room. His character was even set to share scenes with Austin Butler’s heavily praised Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. “What I had the most fun with was working with Austin Butler,” he said back in 2023.

For now, there’s no telling if these scenes may ever see the light of day. Though perhaps there’s a chance various deleted scenes make their way to the physical release later this year.

Not the only character cut from Dune 2, Tim Blake Nelson was also cast in a mysterious role before having his scenes trimmed from the final edit as well.