In a YouTube video, a Dune fan has explored what scenes ended up not incorporated into Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi film. According to this fan, Secrets of Dune, Jason Momoa even got to see a longer cut that went up to six hours long.
In the original version, there was a scene that corresponded to the beginning of the film in which Duncan Idaho plummets from the sky into the planet of Arrakis. From what we can see from the original script, this scene would have been an epic moment from Duncan’s character which showed off his masterful piloting skills and dauntless spirit. Also from the script, we can tell that this was supposed to be Duncan’s first introduction, so it is difficult to pinpoint where his conversation with Paul before his departure to Arrakis should’ve been in the film. Perhaps there were supposed to be time jumps before and this scene, even though it was set at the beginning, was chronologically set towards the early middle.
The Gom Jabbar scene between Paul and the matriarch Bene Gesserit was originally longer, with more dialogue going back and forth between the two characters. In this extended version, the sinister but wise nature of the Reverend Mother is highlighted. She foresees that Duke Atreides, Paul’s father, will lose control of Arrakis, which later in the film, happens in the most disastrous way.
Another scene that is a pity to not have been included because it further established Paul’s complex relationship with his mother Jessica, was a training scene in which the two sparred together. There was another Jessica scene that did not survive post-production either. In this scene, she wore an incredible dark red gown. This could’ve been part of a “banquet” scene, but it is unclear in exactly what scene the dress was supposed to be worn. However, we do know there was supposed to be this party scene that included all the members of the Atreides family, including Duncan, and they were all smartly dressed for the occasion. Also in this scene, Gurney Halleck played the baliset, a nine-string instrument that can be briefly be seen in the movie.
There was also a threatening note disguised as a welcoming gift sent by Baron Harkonnen to the Duke which did not make it into the final cut. The note was accompanied by hundreds of severed fingers of spice workers who had worked under the ruthless Harkonnen. Also originally, the first scene in which the audience would meet Stilgar was not in the Duke’s office but when he spots the arrival of the Atreides in the skies of Arrakis.
There were many scenes cut in the aftermath of Paul’s attempted assassination, one of these included the young heir consoling Thufir Hawat for failing to protect him. In this scene that was in the final draft of the script, Timothée Chalamet’s protagonist tells the older man that it was his teachings that helped him survive the encounter. This scene explored Paul’s Mentat training, which in the final cut was not as developed as his Bene Gesserit training. “I’ll make a Mentat of you yet.” Hawat told Paul in the script. Furthermore, there was another scene with Hawat, during the massacre of the House Atreides by the Harkonnen forces, in which his fellow Mentat, Piter de Vries, humiliated him for losing.
Another scene of dialogue featuring Paul that did not make it was between him and Doctor Yueh. In this scene, the Doctor gave the young man a compact edition of the Orange Catholic Bible. Doctor Yueh had yet another scene this time wherein Jessica approaches him. This scene was supposed to show how Yueh was already feeling depressed by his wife’s fate at the hands of the Harkonnen, and it provided more context for his later betrayal.
Finally, there was more to Paul’s and Jessica’s journey to Sietch Tabr which was cut. There was more dialogue between him, his mother, and Chani. The concept art for the Sietch had already been created for the film even though it did not appear in Part One. We can only speculate whether full scenes were shot there.
Filming for Dune: Part Two is set to begin in July of this year, and the film is scheduled to premiere in October 2023. Check out the video below to learn more about the deleted scenes: