You’ll Never See Dune 2 Deleted Scenes Thanks To Denis Villeneuve
Frank Herbert’s Dune is one of the greatest and most influential sci-fi epics of all time, and Denis Villeneuve’s films are proving to be worthy adaptations. With Dune 2 hitting theaters on March 1, fans are patiently waiting to see if he can stick the landing. The film is also nearly three hours long, which leaves some room for an extended version, but according to Denis Villeneuve, we shouldn’t ever expect to see those deleted scenes.
Villeneuve Says He’s No Frankenstein
Denis Villeneuve did an interview with Collider ahead of the release of Dune 2 and expressed that his editing process means that any scenes that don’t fit into the film are gone forever. Villeneuve explained “I’m a strong believer that when it’s not in the movie, it’s dead,” adding, “It’s painful, so I cannot go back after that and create a Frankenstein and try to reanimate things that I killed.” While this is undoubtedly disappointing for fans who love to dive into every deleted scene and extra material a film can provide, it does make sense from a creative standpoint.
For Villeneuve, Letting Go Of Deleted Scenes May Be A Relief
Major blockbusters like Dune 2 take months or even years to complete post-production, and directors like Denis Villeneuve are hyper-involved in that process. After all that work, it is likely a relief for them to step away from the completed project and feel like they’ve put together the best version of the film possible. There are certainly exceptions, like when a director revisits a project due to studios intervening with their vision, but it’s likely that the studios gave a proven filmmaker like Villeneuve more freedom.
Don’t Expect An Extended Edition
Still, Dune and Dune 2 are epic blockbusters in the same vein as sci-fi classics like Star Wars and fantasy epics like The Lord of the Rings. Some fans consider the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings films to be the superior versions, so it’s hard to imagine that some Dune fans wouldn’t feel the same about an extended version of Villeneuve’s films. But it does seem like Villeneuve’s word is pretty final on this, so don’t expect to see a Villeneuve Cut of the film anytime soon.
The Dune Director Isn’t Alone
Of course, based on what Villeneuve said in his Dune 2 interview, it seems like the theatrical version of the film is the Villeneuve cut. There are other filmmakers who hold a similar opinion, like Christopher Nolan. Nolan expressed in the past that he doesn’t really have deleted scenes because of how expensive it is to shoot scenes that might be cut.
Dune 2 Looks Great Without An Extended Edition
Regardless of their reasoning, Villeneuve and Nolan are certainly entitled to keep their deleted scenes to a minimum and avoid releasing them altogether. While fans might care a little, everyone is likely just happy that we’re getting a great adaptation of Dune in the first place. Early Dune 2 reviews are already overly positive, so it seems like an extended edition is unneeded anyway.
Dune 2 will see Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides teaming up with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to exact revenge on the Harokkens and others who betrayed his family. The blockbuster also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Anya Taylor-Joy. You can check out the epic in theaters on March 1.
