Fans were already heavily disappointed in the Academy’s decision to overlook Villeneuve for the first Dune film. It received ten nominations, including Best Picture, but did not earn a Best Director nomination. After watching Dune: Part Two, fans were sure that there was no way the Academy could ignore Villeneuve now. Well, they did!
His Oscar campaign was doomed when he wasn’t nominated for DGA’s Best Director Award. The announcement of the nominees came on January 23rd and Villeneuve wasn’t on the list. The nominees in the category included Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Sean Baker (Anora), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), and Brady Corbet (The Brutalist).
It appears that Villeneuve doesn’t have friends in high places and fans totally agree. One fan shared that the director must’ve pissed off someone at the Academy, leading to his repeated snubs. Others vented their frustration at how the Academy has been treating such an acclaimed director. Some of the fan reactions read:
He pissed off someone. I'm convinced.
— Wander (@_PiggyPie) January 23, 2025
Does anyone care about the Oscar’s anymore!? This just shows bias.
— Chris Combs (@CSquaredGuy) January 23, 2025
What an absolute joke.
— Bern (@FootyFundi) January 23, 2025
the Oscars have no remaining credibility
— Ari (@TisAri03) January 23, 2025
Hollywood going to continue to Hollywood smh
— Connor Cummings (@ConnorSCummings) January 23, 2025
The downgrade from ten nominations (and six wins) for Dune to just five nominations for Dune 2 is a clear indication that the Academy is taking the whole film for granted. While the categories of Production Design, Cinematography, Sound, and Visual Effects earned nominations, the film was robbed of nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Josh Brolin wasn’t happy the first time when Denis Villeneuve was snubbed for the first film. He took to Instagram to slam the Academy’s decision to ignore “the guy who has done the impossible with that book.” Brolin, who played Gurney Halleck in the films, called the decision “totally dumb” sharing that he didn’t know how the film got ten nominations and the guy at the helm of it gets overlooked.
After Dune: Part Two, Brolin told Variety that he would stop acting if Villeneuve didn’t get nominated this time. He shared, “If the Academy Awards have any meaning whatsoever, they’ll recognize him.” However, Brolin’s worst fears came true when Villeneuve was snubbed yet again. Brolin took to his Instagram story to express his shock (via Variety):
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.
It wasn’t just Brolin who was disappointed at Villeneuve’s snub. Chris Miller, who produced Sony’s Spider-Verse films, shared on X, “There were many films that had great directing this year but what Denis did — in all aspects of the craft — was masterful.” There couldn’t be a better way to put it.
