What you see in the sandstorm is what you’re getting from the sandstorm. Dune: Part 2 director Denis Villeneuve told Collider that he kills his “darlings,†even if it means cutting out stars like Tim Blake Nelson in the process. He explains, “I’m a strong believer that when it’s not in the movie, it’s dead. I kill darlings, and it’s painful for me. Sometimes I remove shots and I say, ‘I cannot believe I’m cutting this out.’ I feel like a samurai opening my gut. 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. I’m very, I think, severe in the editing room. I’m not thinking about my ego, I’m thinking about the movie.â€
One of those scenes included Nelson, who told MovieWeb he felt “heartbroken†his scenes were cut from the film, explaining, “I don’t think I’m at liberty to say what the scene was. I’d leave that to Denis [Villeneuve] if he wants to talk about it. I had a great time over there shooting it. And then he had to cut it because he thought the movie was too long. And I am heartbroken over that, but there’s no hard feelings. I loved it, and I can’t wait to do something else with him and we certainly plan to do that.†Some have speculated that Nelson was cast as Count Hasimir Fenring, who plays a larger role in the sequel books and could potentially return for a third film. The Hollywood Reporter says Villeneuve is working on a script based on Dune Messiah, so that might be why Nelson has no hard feelings; he’ll get his chance to be reunited with the rest of the cast soon.