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.
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 toldEntertainment 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.”
Related:
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 rolebefore having his scenes trimmed from the final edit as well.
Brad Norton is Dexerto’s Editor on the Australia team. He is a journalism graduate and Call of Duty expert, covering Warzone, Black Ops, and Modern Warfare. Brad also covers Star Wars, Twitch, YouTube, first-person shooter games, and single-player games. He also has bylines at Gamurs Group. You can contact him at: brad.norton@dexerto.com
