Dune 2 director says cutting one character from the sequel was the “most painful choice”

Like all page-to-screen adaptations, Dune: Part Two makes a few changes from the novel it’s based on. For director Denis Villeneuve, though, one change in particular was the most difficult to enact: the omission of Thufir Hawat. 

“One of the most painful choices for me on this one was Thufir Hawat,” Villeneuve told Entertainment Weekly. “He’s a character I absolutely love, but I decided right at the beginning that I was making a Bene Gesserit adaptation. That meant that Mentats are not as present as they should be, but it’s the nature of the adaptation.”

Thufir Hawat is a Mentat, AKA a human whose mind has been trained to have the same power as a supercomputer. Played by Stephen McKinley Henderson in Dune: Part One, he works for House Atreides and is a mentor for Paul (Timothée Chalamet), but was blackmailed into working for House Harkonnen after they orchestrated the murder of Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) – Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) poisons him and will only administer doses of the antidote if he complies.

 In Frank Herbert’s novel, Hawat stays loyal to the Atreides and secretly works against the Harkonnens, giving the Baron false information and attempting to take him down from within. 

Instead, Villeneuve’s “Bene Gesserit adaptation” focuses on the all-female group with clairvoyant abilities who orchestrates Paul’s rise to power as the Lisan al Gaib. Their members include Paul’s mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and new character Lady Margot (Léa Seydoux).

Dune: Part Two is out now in cinemas. For more, check out the rest of our coverage on the movie:

Dune 2 ending explainedDoes Dune 2 have a post-credits scene?What could happen in Dune 3, according to the booksThe Dune 2 and book differencesWho does Anya Taylor-Joy play in Dune 2?When will Dune 2 be on streaming?Dune 2’s divergence from the novel shifts the focus to women – and motherhoodZendaya and Florence Pugh discuss the women of Dune 2Zendaya discusses Chani’s personal journey in Dune 2Director Denis Villeneuve on comparisons to The Empire Strikes BackDirector Denis Villeneuve on Timothee Chalamet’s transformative performanceActor Stellan Skarsgard on playing the villainActor Stellan Skarsgard on working with Austin Butler