Directed and produced by Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two is the sequel to 2021’s Dune which is based on a two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name. The movie stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, and more. The story follows Paul Atreides uniting with the Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to wage war against House Harkonnen.
Dune: Part Two released on March 1st, 2024 has already been dubbed as one of the greatest sequels and science-fiction films of all time. The reviews for the movie have been positive from critics as well as the audience. The director however explains the reason behind one character’s absence from the sequel. And no, it’s not Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho.
Denis Villeneuve explains the absence of Thufir Hawat from Dune: Part Two
Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson who had appeared as Thufir Hawat known to be Mentat of House Atreides was significantly missing from Dune: Part Two, which was released on March 1st, 2024. According to IGN, Thufir Hawat plays a small but significant role in the second half of the book as after being captured by Harkonnens, he is put to work as the Baron’s new Mentat.
The Baron believes that Thufir could be persuaded on the basis of a lie that Lady Jessica betrayed her Duke. But in reality, Thufir chooses to die rather than betray Paul Atreides played by Timothée Chalamet. The actor reportedly shared on the This is Prudue podcast that he had filmed scenes with Austin Butler who plays Feyd-Rautha. But his scene never made it to the final cut of the movie indicating that it lies in Dune 2’s deleted scenes.
Upon asking about the absence of the character, Denis Villeneuve shared on Screen Crush;
“I was in love with Thufir Hawat. It’s a character that I absolutely adore. But I had to make a bold choice to make a Bene Gesserit adaptation, and to focus the movie on that sisterhood. I wish there was more Thufir Hawat.”
Back in 2021, during his conversation with THR, Stephen McKinley Henderson shared what playing Thufir Hawat meant to him. He said,
“The thing that helped me is that I’m a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. So there was something about his power of deduction that made me feel connected, in a way to play a Mentat.”
The actor added that he was able to find something in his background that helped him and his love for math at one point was one of the things that helped him while playing Thufir.
Denis Villeneuve explains why he didn’t film both parts of Dune at the same time
During his conversation with Screen Crush, the director was asked about his decision to film both parts at a different time. Villeneuve said,
“The thing is that was my idea, by the way. I wanted to make both movies together! I thought that was right. But it would have been absolutely exhausting physically because both movies required a very long shoot in very difficult conditions.”
The director said that they spent a lot of time filming in the desert for the sequel part adding that he is so grateful that they filmed this way. He noted,
“I think that I was protected by the gods of cinema, because it allowed me to recover and learn from everything I learned technically on Part One, which gave me clues on how to improve and make better movie with Part Two.”
Denis Villeneuve acknowledged that he tried to make the sequel an autonomous movie so that someone who has not seen Dune: Part One would still be able to enjoy the movie. There is a little recap in the beginning of the movie, which he said he has tried to keep as minimalistic, as possible.
Dune: Part Two is playing in theatres.
