The fallout continues from the Academy's snub of Denis Villeneuve and Dune 2, with multiple Oscar voters sharing their confusion over the director's sci-fi sequel being (relatively) frozen out from this year's nominations.
"I voted for the first part in almost every category last time. How has Denis not won four Oscars already?" one told Variety. "I don’t understand how the studio and, quite frankly, us Oscar voters fuck this up so bad?"
Another added, "I don’t know how Dune wasn’t nominated for every category… and I hate sci-fi."
Dune: Part Two may have picked up a nomination for Best Picture, but Villeneuve wasn't part of the shortlist for Best Director. Dune also only appeared in four other categories – Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, and Best Cinematography – compared to Emilia Perez's 13 nods.
Those hoping for a Return of the King-style Oscars sweep for Dune 2, then, were left disappointed. Perhaps none more so than Josh Brolin, who previously said he would 'retire' from acting if Denis Villeneuve missed out on a Best Director nomination.
After that came to pass, Brolin said, "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."
The 97th Academy Awards take place on March 2.
For more, check out the full list of Oscars 2025 nominations and our early Oscars 2025 predictions.
