Is Josh Brolin in Dune 3? Why You May Be Disappointed

It’s time to get excited for Dune: Part Three, but anyone hoping to see a lot more of Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck should prepare for disappointment. The first Dune 3 trailer has been released, giving us a look at one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. And, needless to say, it looks pretty incredible. There’s a tease of Paul Atreides’ Holy War, a glimpse of Robert Pattinson’s villain, Scytale, more of Paul and Chani’s relationship, and lots of gorgeous visuals.

One thing there is not, however, is Brolin. The actor doesn’t appear in the new footage and, even more notably, his name isn’t among the list of credited actors that appears at the end of the trailer, nor was he at the event to hype it up.

This has sparked questions and concerns about whether Brolin is in Dune 3 at all. To that end, you might not need to worry: the actor confirmed his role in the movie in an interview with Josh Horowitz for the Happy Sad Confused podcast last year, saying that while he wasn’t filming it at that point (the movie was in production at the time), he had read the script and was in it.

Josh Brolin’s Gurney Has A Very Small Role In Dune 3

However, the actor also noted that he only has a small role in the movie. On the one hand, that’s disappointing: his weaponsmaster is one of the best characters in the Dune movies, so it would be great to see more of him (and more Brolin is never a bad thing). On the other hand, it makes sense. Dune: Part Three is adapting Frank Herbert’s book, Dune Messiah (at least to some degree, but expect plenty of changes), and Gurney’s hardly mentioned in that story.

Throughout the book, the character is confined to Caladan, the ancestral home of House Atreides, where he spends his time with Lady Jessica (in fact, the two become lovers). Interestingly, Jessica does appear in the trailer, and Rebecca Ferguson is among those credited in the trailer. Speaking on Happy Sad Confused this week, she explained that director Denis Villeneuve wanted to give her a scene even though her story is mostly over, saying:

“I just dipped my toe in. I have no, sort of, comments on it. The script is great, I’ve read it. I think it’s gonna be fantastic. But my journey was number one and two. I don’t even think [my character] was supposed to be in three. And then Denis was like, ‘I need to have one scene,’ and I get one scene.”

Since Jessica’s scene is with Paul, it seems likely this is also when we’ll see Gurney in the movie, presumably having one last interaction with Timothée Chalamet’s character. Of course, it’s also possible that Gurney doesn’t make it into the finished version of the movie: Dune 2 cut a couple of characters, including Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and one played by Tim Blake Nelson, despite them filming scenes. Hopefully, that isn’t the case here, and the cast list is more of a contractual thing, but it is possible.

Ultimately, it’d be great to have Brolin involved, because the character deserves to be part of the conclusion to this trilogy even in a small way. But if not, there’s plenty going on in Dune 3 that should make it one of the best movies of 2026.

Dune: Part Three will be released on December 18th, 2026.

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