Don’t worry, Dune fans: Gurney Halleck finally plays the baliset in Part Two
By Dan Selcke
In the Dune series, Gurney Halleck is the swordmaster for House Atreides, so obviously he’s good with a blade. But the warrior has a softer side: in Frank Herbert’s books, he also likes to strum a made-up nine-stringed instrument called a baliset.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him at play in Denis Villenueve’s Dune, which came out in 2021. A scene where actor Josh Brolin played the baliset was shot but ended up on the cutting room floor. Happily, Villeneuve assured Empire that Dune: Part Two will give us the sci-fi musical stylings we’ve been craving.
“The Gurney song survived Part Two!” Villeneuve said, triumphant in victory. “It became a weird priority for me. But Josh Brolin is a poet and we played it together. It was awesome.”
Josh Brolin will play the baliset in Dune: Part Two
The universe needs music, particular a universe as bleak as the one in Dune, so I’m all for Villeneuve prioritizing Gurney and his baliset. Prepare to rock out when Dune: Part Two hits theaters on March 15, 2024. (The movie was original going to come out this November but got delayed thanks to the ongoing Hollywood labor strikes.)
In the meantime, you can enjoy this clip of Patrick Stewart playing the baliset as Gurney in David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune:
The bar has been set, Mr. Brolin. Your move.
Next. House of the Dragon season 2: Soldiers charge across the battlefield. dark
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