The newest film adaptation of Dune is just over a month away, and fans of the Herbert novel are surely hoping director Villeneuve has done the source material justice. While the infamous 1984 David Lynch film adaptation was not well-loved, it did include references to most, if not all, of the book’s themes and scenes. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case for the upcoming 2021 version of Dune.

Dune Part 1 introduces the legendary characters, including Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya), Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), and Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin).

In a recent interview, Villeneuve revealed Halleck has lost a unique part of his storyline in the upcoming film.

He confessed: “I will say something to you guys… there’s one thing that is painful for me.

“It’s Gurney Halleck’s baliset. It’s something that I shot. It’s something that exists. Josh [Brolin] was awesome, but for several reasons… I wasn’t able to put it in Part One.” (Via IGN)

READ MORE: Dune reviews: ‘Gorgeous next Lord of the Rings stuns but is imperfect’

In the 1965 novel, Gurney Halleck isn’t just a fierce warrior, but also a virtuoso.

Between battle sequences, he frequently strums his fictional nine-stringed instrument, an object that has become legendary within the Dune fandom.

Villeneuve justified cutting out the instrument, saying: “From the start, I knew that I would like to focus on some specific elements [of the Dune story].

“Because when you adapt, necessarily, you transform. The idea was to be as close to the spirit of the book as possible, to be as close to the poetry.”

What do you think? Should Gurney Halleck’s Baliset have been axed from the movie? Join the debate in the comments section here

Herbert’s tome comes in at just over 400 pages, and Villeneuve has confirmed the 2021 Dune film only covers half of its story.

In another interview, the Canadian director confirmed he is looking to create Dune Part 2 “as soon as possible”.

If a second part to the franchise was greenlit by Warner Bros, Villeneuve explained, it would be produced very soon.

He said: “I would be very ready to go quite quickly. To go quickly in a movie of that size, you still need to make sets, costumes, so we are talking about months.” (Via IGN)

Villeneuve went on: “But if ever there’s enthusiasm and the movie is greenlit sooner than later, I will say that I will be ready to shoot in 2022 for sure.”

At the moment, in the Dune novel franchise, there are 36 novels based around the desert planet Arrakis (otherwise known as Dune).

Once Villeneuve has adapted the Dune novel, he may go on to continue the story with its sequel, Dune Messiah.

Dune hits cinemas on October 22, 2021.

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