Dune star Josh Brolin reacts to Denis Villeneuve Best Director snub at the Oscars: "Apparently, I am going to quit acting"

Josh Brolin has reacted to the news that Denis Villeneuve didn't secure a Best Director Oscar nomination for Dune 2. The star, who plays Gurney Halleck in the franchise, previously said that he'd quit acting if Villeneuve wasn't nominated, and now it seems like he's doubling down on that.

"Just want to say congratulations on the ‘Dune’ best picture nomination, to Greig Fraser on cinematography, for best visual effects, for Patrice [Vermett] on production design and for sound," Brolin said on his Instagram story. "Apparently, I am going to quit acting because Denis Villeneuve didn’t get nominated. This is just how this thing works. It makes no sense to me. That’s okay. [Editor] Joe Walker and Denis, you deserve it. It’s an amazing film. It was even better than the first one. The people who have gotten accolades surely deserve it. Happy to be a part of it. Congrats everyone."

Dune 2 was nominated for several awards at the Oscars, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. However, Villeneuve was pipped at the post for the directing category, which instead featured Sean Baker for Anora, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, James Mangold for A Complete Unknown, Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, and Coralie Fargeat for The Substance.

When Dune 2 was named as GamesRadar+'s best film of 2024, we spoke to Villeneuve about Brolin's comments. "That gives me a tremendous amount of responsibility, putting all of that on my shoulders," he laughed. "Thanks Josh, that’s embarrassing. I mean if Josh does decide to quit acting, it will be my responsibility to fight him on it."

Villeneuve will be staying busy with plans for his third movie in the Dune franchise, Dune: Messiah, heating up. Dune 1 and Dune 2 are both available to watch on HBO's streaming service Max – and you can check out our lists of the best shows on Max and the best movies on Max too.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.