Why is a key ‘Dune’ character missing from ‘Dune 2’ despite being in its cast initially?

Books are a naturally rich source for great movies but something always has to give, even in an adaptation as critically acclaimed as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.

The director had the arduous task of bringing Frank Herbert’s notoriously dense futuristic universe to life. Although both 2021’s Dune and 2024’s Part Two are largely considered hits — with some fans even arguing the films improve upon the 1965 book — one fan-favorite character was left behind.

Where is Thufir Hawat in Dune: Part Two?

Stephen McKinley Henderson’s Thufir Hawat was easily a stand-out character in Dune but was surprisingly absent from the sequel in a cut described by Villeneuve, in an interview with EW, as “one of the most painful choices” he had to make.

Thufir was House Atreides’ Mentat in Dune, a human being trained to master computer-like abilities to perform calculations and store and organize data in a world where Artificial Intelligence has been banned. Every Great House in the Imperium has one, and when the Harkonnens ambush the Atreides on Arrakis, in the book, Baron Harkonnen (played by Stellan Skarsgård in the cinematic adaptation) forces Thufir to work for him instead. As such, he survives the attack, unlike what happens in Dune: Part Two where he isn’t heard from again.

A fan of Herbert’s universe since he was a 14-year-old sci-fi nerd, Villeneuve loved Thufir’s character. The world of Dune is one composed of multiple moving pieces, working together and in opposition in an intricate political web of power, religion, and influence. While Villeneuve did a fantastic job at translating that tension into the medium he masters, to make a successful adaptation, he had to hone in on one core storyline from the book. For the French-Canadian filmmaker, the Bene Gesserit — a highly influential witch-like sisterhood with unique mental abilities — were the answer from the beginning.

“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.”

Stephen McKinley Henderson and his little parasol are missed but Villeuneve’s achievements in Dune: Part Two more than make up for Thufir’s absence.