One Dune 2 Scene Became A 'Weird Priority' For Director Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" was the best possible adaptation we could have asked for of Frank Herbert's magnum opus. It was a daunting endeavor that could have easily been a disaster but instead captures the epic scope of the story, the nuances of its political machinations, and its sprawling collection of characters. It also understood when to go for blockbuster excitement and when to go for methodical and slow-burn intrigue.
That being said, there were small intricacies lost along the way, like the characters who had little to do in the first "Dune" film (see: Thufir Hawat the mentat). That includes Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck, who's missing one hugely important aspect of the character in Villeneuve's movie — his Baliset.
As with most things in "Dune" the book, the appearance of the Baliset is left open to interpretation, but it is a musical instrument similar to a lute or a zither. It's also an important part of Gurney's personality and there was even a deleted scene from "Dune" that had Brolin using it to perform a song. Thankfully, #JusticeForBaliset will finally be served in "Dune: Part Two." Speaking to Empire, Villeneuve victoriously declared, "The Gurney song survived 'Part Two'! It became a weird priority for me. But Josh Brolin is a poet and we played it together. It was awesome."
The poet warrior
What makes Gurney different than, say, Duncan Idaho in "Dune," is that he is not just an extraordinary warrior, but also a poet and a scholar. It may sound like a small thing, but it hugely informs not just the character of Gurney, but the entirety of House Atreides. That's because we learn Gurney was once enslaved by the Harkonnens, back when he was a man who knew only violence. Working for the Atreides family, however, he was allowed to cultivate an interest in music and literature, illustrating that the Atreides value art and human qualities, not just brute strength.
In the past, Brolin has admitted to being self-conscious about playing the Baliset due to his "Dune" co-star Oscar Isaac (who plays Duke Leto Atreides in the film) quickly mastering how to use the instrument himself. Though we, sadly, didn't get to hear Isaac sing a song or play an instrument onscreen, we will get to see Gurney singing one of his famous songs in "Part Two," much like the Patrick Stewart version of the character did in David Lynch's 1984 "Dune" film. Now, if only Villeneuve would bring back the royal battle pug from that movie too...
"Dune: Part Two" is currently scheduled to open in theaters on March 15, 2024.