Josh Brolin on Denis Villeneuve’s Best Director snub: "It’s all f***ing totally dumb"

Josh Brolin has reacted to Dune director Denis Villeneuve being left off the Best Director shortlist at this year’s Academy Awards.

Taking to Instagram, Brolin congratulated the cast and crew of Dune – which received 10 nominations – before addressing the "flummoxing" decision not to nominate Villeneuve.

"It’s just one of those things where you go ‘Huh, what?!’" Brolin said. "I don’t know how you get 10 nominations and then the guy who has done the impossible with that [Dune] book doesn’t get nominated."

Brolin continued: "It makes you realize that it’s all amazing and then it’s all fucking totally dumb. So congratulations for the amazing accomplishments that these incredibly talented people have been acknowledged for, because it’s all really, really dumb."

Dune trails behind only The Power of the Dog, which picked up 12 nominations ahead of the March 27 ceremony. Villeneuve can also take solace in the fact that Dune is up for Best Picture – an incredible achievement given the source material and previous attempts at adapting it – alongside Belfast, Drive My Car, King Richard, CODA, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, Don’t Look Up, West Side Story, and Licorice Pizza. He also got a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay.

As for Brolin, he is set to co-star in Brothers with Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage. They’ll be joined by Glenn Close in the movie, set to be helmed by Palm Springs director Max Barbakow.

For more on what’s coming to cinemas across the next 12 months, be sure to check out our movie release dates guide as well as our Oscars 2022 predictions.