Dune Director Shuts Down Cries for a 'Villeneuve Cut'

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is finally out, all two hours and 35 minutes of it. And yet, even before it was released, Dune star Jason Momoa (Duncan Idaho) was calling for more—hoping that a director’s cut of the film would be released to the public à la Zack Snyder’s Justice League, another Warner Bros. film he starred in.

Back in April, Momoa revealed he was in favor of seeing a super-long version of the film that spanned anywhere from four to six hours, something that could be watched like a TV series. “I want to see Denis’ whole vision,” he told The New York Times Magazine. “I don’t want it to be trimmed.”

But when it comes to director’s cuts, it looks like Dune won’t follow in the footsteps of Justice League. As Villeneuve himself told NME:

"I love Jason, but such a thing doesn’t exist! The director’s cut is what people are watching in theaters right now. There will be no other cut. Yes, I could have made a much longer, more contemplative movie, but that was not the plan."

Will there be another Dune movie?

As for the first Dune, it seems like the complete story that Villeneuve wanted to tell has been told. Yes, there’s a lot from the first part of the book that was cut. Take, for instance, the Baron revealing his plan with Dr. Yueh or Lady Jessica finding the secret room. But viewers really didn’t miss out on much by not having those moments in the film.

But there is still more to come. On October 26, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Dune: Part Two had been greenlit. As Villeneuve said in a statement:

"I just received news from Legendary that we are officially moving forward with Dune: Part Two. It was a dream of mine to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune and I have the fans, the cast and crew, Legendary, and Warner Bros. to thank for supporting this dream. This is only the beginning."

The Dune sequel is slated to premiere in October 2023.