Josh Brolin Says He'll “Quit Acting" If Denis Villeneuve Doesn’t Get Nominated for ‘Dune II'

Josh Brolin was already pretty vocal about the Oscars blowing it when they failed to nominated his “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve for the 2021 sci-fi epic. The snub is still being talked about today, and many have pointed to the Academy’s history of not honoring sci-fi.

This year, Villeneuve is in the awards race once again for “Dune: Part Two,” which almost everyone agrees is a better movie than the original. Brolin plays Gurney Halleck in the film, a mentor to Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. The film is practically guaranteed a Best Picture nomination, and a slew of other nods.

Regardless, Brolin is yet again campaigning hard for Villeneuve to nab a directing nomination for ‘Dune 2’ and tells Variety that if the filmmaker does not get recognized again by the Academy then, well, he’s done with acting.

“If he doesn’t get nominated this year, I’ll quit acting,” Brolin says. “It was a better movie than the first one. When I watched it, it felt like my brain was broken open. It’s masterful, and Denis is one of our master filmmakers. If the Academy Awards have any meaning whatsoever, they’ll recognize him.”

Obviously, Brolin won’t quit, no matter what he says. Nobody ends a career because one of their friends didn’t get an Oscar nomination. However, this time around, Villeneuve does stand a good chance at being recognized in the category — I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t.

Yet, Villeneuve is currently only #5 on the Gold Derby charts for Best Director. Ahead of him are Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), Sean Baker (“Anora”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Perez”), and Edward Berger (“Conclave”). I believe he’s a little higher in the rankings, but Gold Derby’s “experts” have a different story to tell.

Currently clipping at Villeneuve’s wings for the #5 slot are RaMell Ross (“Nickel Boys”), Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”) and Mohammad Rasoulof (“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”).