Dune: Part Two is easily the biggest movie of the year so far, and while it’s a hit with an overwhelming majority of fans and critics, some are talking.
The film is the second half of director Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi masterpiece, offering fans a closer look at the Fremen, the inhabitants of the Arakis Desert, and His way of life.
The original book, considered one of the best science fiction novels of all time, delved into themes prevalent in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) societies, while also commenting on Western imperialism.
Now that the film is out, having grossed over $575 million worldwide, many critics are talking about the production failing to cast MENA actors while diminishing the book’s MENA influences.
The first half of the book and the first movie introduce fans to this enormous world and to main characters like Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet, who signed a multi-year first-look deal with Warner Bros.), whose family has been chosen to preside over about Arakis and the planet’s lucrative spice production.
Dune: Part Two is easily the biggest movie of the year so far, and while it’s a hit with an overwhelming majority of fans and critics, some are talking.
The original book, considered one of the best science fiction novels of all time, delved into themes prevalent in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) societies, while also commenting on Western imperialism.
The first half of the book and the first film introduce fans to this enormous world and to main characters like Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), whose family has been chosen to preside over Arakis and the lucrative spice production on the planet.
The second half of the book and the second film follow Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) as they integrate into Fremen culture.
Herbert, who died in February 1986 aged 65, had said he was influenced by Islamic, Middle Eastern and North African culture.
The touchstones he used for the Fremen people in his book included the Algerian War of Independence, TE Lawrence, and the iconic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and the Bedouins of the Arabian Plateau.
Still, many critics took issue with the fact that only one MENA actor was cast as a Fremen: Souheila Yacoub, born in Sweden and raised in Tunisia, who plays Shishakli, a friend of Zendaya’s main character, Chani.
Earlier this month, Furvah Shah wrote an article for cosmopolitan uk mentions that the filmmakers specifically omitted a word used frequently in the book: jihad, which literally translates in Arabic to “fight” but is now synonymous with acts of terror.
“To me, leaving it out of the script is an intentional choice that shows that the creators recognize their influences, but choose not to highlight them on screen if it has no aesthetic purpose. For example, Dune may be Muslim, but not too much,” Shah wrote .
She was also linked to a article 2021 which mentions that Herbert’s own book editors asked him to tone down the “Muslim flavor” of the book.
Shah added: “From the use of beads and prostration in Fremen prayers, to the almost Arabic language, phrases taken from religious texts and the use of veils, it seemed that Dune draws heavily on Islam and the Middle East”. and the cultures of North Africa, but at the same time it erases us from the screen.
The second half of the book and the second film follow Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) as they integrate into Fremen culture.
The touchstones he used for the Fremen people in his book included the Algerian War of Independence, TE Lawrence, and the iconic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and the Bedouins of the Arabian Plateau.
Earlier this month, Furvah Shah wrote an article for Cosmopolitan UK and mentions that the filmmakers specifically omitted a frequently used word in the book, jihad, which literally translates in Arabic to “fight,” but is now synonymous with acts Horror.
Earlier this month, Furvah Shah wrote an article for cosmopolitan uk mentions that the filmmakers specifically omitted a word used frequently in the book: jihad, which literally translates in Arabic to “fight” but is now synonymous with acts of terror.
Serena Rasoul, casting director and founder of Muslim American Casting, said she was disappointed that more actors from MENA were not cast.
“This was a missed opportunity to honor the region’s rich culture and heritage,” Rasoul said.
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) Hollywood Office Director Sue Obeidi said the casting was baffling.
“This seems incorrect considering the cultural background of the story, and because of this, the film fails to accurately portray the diverse world of Dune. This weakens the integrity and cultural impact of the films,” he said.
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com, added that there is often a double standard when it comes to casting Muslim actors.
“One of the biggest things we hear when it comes to Middle Eastern people or brown people is that there’s not enough talent,” he began.
“However, the industry does not hesitate or pose any challenge in casting those actors from those backgrounds in the stereotypical roles of terrorists or villains. Conveniently, we have a surplus of Middle Eastern actors when it comes to negative portrayals,” he added.
Thomas Simsarian Dolan, academic advisor for the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition, praised Villeneuve for casting Yacoub, even though she falls into the “native fixer” type of character.
‘The native mediator is involved in the action, but definitely in a decidedly second-class position, subordinate to the colonial power or hero. We know that if we have a minority character (person of color, queer, etc.), he will help the hero and then die,” Dolan explains.
“This was a missed opportunity to honor the region’s rich culture and heritage,” Rasoul said.
“However, the industry does not hesitate or pose any challenge in casting those actors from those backgrounds in the stereotypical roles of terrorists or villains. Conveniently, we have a surplus of Middle Eastern actors when it comes to negative portrayals,” he added.
As for Villeneuve, he didn’t talk much about Fremen casting before Dune: Part 2, although he did talk about it in an interview with The Nerds of Color.
Writer Khaldoun Khelil praised Villeneuve for his understanding and respect for the science fiction genre, stating that the director “clearly understands that science fiction is a wonderful mirror or prism for understanding our current time and place.”
But he has his own goals. In the case of Dune, Villeneuve is expressing his personal discontent with fanaticism and those who exploit it and this replaced the other themes of Dune in his interpretation… If the Fremen are reduced to exploited fanatics, it not only strips them of agency but it ignores what they are really fighting for. They are fighting for their home. Arrakis. Duna,” Khelil said.
Rasoul added that the film “did very little to engage MENA actors, artists, consultants, musicians and linguists.” Instead, he continued to mythologize and exotify a Middle Eastern-inspired world. Our stories are pretty good, but our people are not.
As for Villeneuve, he didn’t talk much about Fremen casting before Dune: Part 2, although he did discuss it in an interview with The color nerds.
“I tried to be as faithful as possible to the images I had in mind when I read the book when I was young,” the director began.
“And this idea that the world of the Fremen would be inspired by the culture of North Africa and the Middle East (a culture that, by the way, I love deeply, because it’s a very complex world), there was this idea that there was something powerful. that will emerge from Africa in the mind of Frank Herbert,” he added.
And I tried to respect his ideas. That’s why I cast the way I did. And I truly feel that I am right to do it this way. “It feels authentic, honest and true to the book,” he said.
