Dune’s Josh Brolin Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Complaining About Denis Villeneuve’s Oscars Snub

Awards Season recently came to a close with the annual Academy Awards. And while all anyone could talk about was the infamous Slap incident, there were also some notable wins, losses, and (of course) snubs. And Dune actor Josh Brolin can’t stop, won’t stop complaining about Denis Villeneveue’s not being nominated for Best Director at the Oscars.

Dune was a major hit at the Academy Awards, with the sci-fi epic being nominated for 10 Oscars, winning six. But moviegoers were shocked on nomination day when director Denis Villeneuve was left out of the Best Director category. Josh Brolin has voiced his support of the movie’s visionary filmmaker, recently speaking with Collider about that snub. As he shared:

It's the most asinine, bizarre ... I mean, that's why snubs are such a thing and that's why we all talk about them, but that's a snub, of a snub, of a snub that I just thought was an impossibility. But given everything about the Academy Awards, there are many impossibilities that actually materialized. So it's all part of the game right now. I don't know.

Well, there you have it. Josh Brolin certainly didn’t mince words when it came to Denis Villeneuve not being nominated for Best Director at the 2022 Oscars. He’s got a point, as Villeneuve was the filmmaker whose vision was responsible for the ten other nominations. As such, the snub really stands out among the nominees.

This isn’t the first time that Josh Brolin has made his feelings about Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar snub known, previously dropping an F-bomb in his exasperation. The snub feels all the more glaring given how many Academy Awards Dune ended up winning this year. In the same interview, Brolin went on to ponder this wild turn of events, saying:

Is it post-pandemic mentality? Whatever it is, I don't understand it. He helmed the whole thing. It's his creation. It's his interpretation. And I love how he dealt with it. And then I'll shut up. But how he dealt with it was all he did was go right into praise for the 10 people who were nominated. And good for him. I don't have to do that on the other hand.

On top of admiring his vision as a filmmaker, it looks like Josh Brolin also admires the way that Denis Villeneuve took his Oscars snub in stride. He continued to be supportive of Dune’s other nominated categories, as well as the work by the nominated directors. Talk about a class act.

While Denis Villeneueve wasn’t nominated for the Best Director Oscar this year, he’ll seemingly get another chance when it comes to Dune: Part Two. The highly anticipated sequel will continue the sci-fi story, and it’s clear that Villeneueve has a very specific method for telling the epic saga. And smart money says that the highly anticipated sequel will be similarly celebrated upon its release.

Dune: Part Two is currently expected to arrive in theaters on October 20th, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.