Dune - The Hybrid Cut - A Fan Edit by Fran García

I’m thrilled to finally unveil a secret project I’ve been developing: Dune – The Hybrid Cut — a unique cinematic fusion of David Lynch’s 1984 classic and Denis Villeneuve’s modern epic. This project has been a labor of love, blending the visionary storytelling of both adaptations into a single, cohesive experience.

In The Hybrid Cut, I’ve combined some of the narratives of Dune (1984) with Dune: Part One (2021), and Dune: Part Two (2024) into one extended film. I’ve carefully restructured scenes to create a unified tone and rhythm, respecting the source material while offering a fresh perspective for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

One of the standout features of this version is the integration of the iconic Toto soundtrack from Lynch’s film. Select tracks by Toto have been used to replace portions of Hans Zimmer’s score, evoking the grand, operatic atmosphere that made the original so memorable while still maintaining the depth and emotion of Villeneuve’s vision.

The film has also been fully recoloured, giving it a distinct and consistent visual identity that bridges the aesthetics of both versions. This recoloring helps blend the contrasting cinematographic styles and ensures a smoother visual experience throughout the entire movie.

Additionally, I’ve made a significant narrative change: the traditional narration by Princess Irulan has been reimagined. In The Hybrid Cut, the narrator is her sister, Princess Wensicia, daughter of Shaddam IV. This change offers a fresh viewpoint on the events of the story, adding a new layer of intrigue and distance to the royal politics of House Corrino.

This fan edit is my tribute to Frank Herbert’s timeless universe, and to the filmmakers who brought Arrakis to life in such dramatically different, yet equally powerful, ways.

Stay tuned for more updates, including when and how you’ll be able to watch Dune – The Hybrid Cut.

Long live the fighters!

Change List​

Inserted new quote.
Princess Wensicia (Virginia Madsen) opening narration added.
Removed the opening title “Dreams are messages from the deep.”
Custom “Secret Report within the Guild” added.
Princess Wensicia narration added.
Shortened Paul and Jessica’s breakfast scene.
Shortened the Herald of the Change ceremony.
Moved and edited the Filmbook scene to follow the Herald of the Change.
Paul and Gurney’s training/fight scene now comes directly after the Filmbook.
Shortened and relocated Paul’s conversation with Duncan about leaving early.
Paul no longer tells Duncan about his vision of Duncan’s death.
Shortened and moved Paul and Duke Leto’s scene at the family graveyard to follow the Duncan encounter.
New dream sequence added.
Removed Paul’s interaction with Dr. Yueh before the Gom Jabbar test.
This was likely included by Villeneuve to foreshadow Yueh’s betrayal, but I felt it explained too much.
The Box montage has been re-edited and audio rebuilt from scratch.
Shortened the montage of House Atreides packing and leaving Caladan, to accelerate their arrival on Arrakis.
Shortened Paul and Jessica’s flight to Arrakeen.
Removed Shadout Mapes’ moan when Jessica recognizes the crysknife.
Moved the Sardaukar enlistment scene with Piter to follow Stilgar’s first meeting with the Atreides.
This enhances narrative flow and gives the Sardaukar more plausible time to reach Arrakis, aligning with Thufir’s warning about time running out.
Removed Duncan showing off his Fremen gear.
Removed the harvester transport scene.
Removed Dr. Kynes’ revelation of her Fremen ties during the spice harvester inspection.
Though accurate to the novel, I delayed this moment for greater dramatic impact.
Removed Paul touching the sand when exiting the thopter—unrealistic given the urgency.
Added a moment of Paul receiving part of his vision during the spice rescue scene.
Shortened the scene where Paul explains his visions to Jessica.
Removed Jessica’s line: “I barely know…” — as a Bene Gesserit, she would absolutely know she is pregnant.
Removed Duncan Idaho’s escape to preserve pacing and maintain suspense around his fate.
Removed Duncan’s post-attack dialogue with Kynes—unnecessary exposition.
Removed Paul’s plea “Somebody help me, please.” — too emotive and awkward in tone.
Shortened Paul’s tent vision by removing the CGI-heavy battle segment.
Shortened Kynes’ speech about the ecological testing station.
Removed the bonsai scene with Duncan.
Removed Paul asking Kynes to join them against the Emperor—premature for his arc.
Removed Kynes stating that Duncan locked the door—it’s self-evident.
Removed the “Good luck” farewells before Paul and Jessica leave Kynes.
Removed the awkward glances between Paul and Jessica while donning their stillsuits.
Added new montage narrated by Princess Wensicia.
Inserted new quote card and Book II: Muad’Dib title.
Removed eclipse scene.
Removed scene where Rabban calls the Fremen “rats.”
Removed hostile Fremen arrival and initial Sietch scene.
Removed Stilgar pledging his life to Paul—feels too early given later events.
Removed Paul and Jessica’s meal scene and early strategic planning—Paul’s leadership is still evolving.
Removed Jessica crying and Stilgar threatening her—now closer to the novel.
Jessica simply weighs their survival options in silence.
Heavily trimmed Jessica’s ritual explanation to Paul.
She explains the ritual to Paul and also that it is fatal to men.
Added a few shots from Dune (1984).
Removed Chani’s friends referring to Jessica drinking “worm piss.”
Rearranged Jessica’s Water of Life sequence to better align with Wensicia’s narration.
Removed Chani’s friend claiming the Mahdi must be Fremen—undermines their prior disbelief.
Trimmed dialogue between Paul, Chani, and others—for pacing.
Removed Stilgar’s enthusiastic “Mahdi!”reaction—felt out of place and overly comedic.
Stilgar is kept more serious throughout this version.
Trimmed Jessica and Paul’s post-Water of Life conversation.
Jessica no longer tells Paul that he must drink it.
Removed Jessica communicating telepathically with unborn Alia—this is not in the novel.
Removed Chani expressing dislike of her secret name.
Added Wensicia narration during the Fremen attacks and over Rabban’s failure montage.
Removed Stilgar’s jump-scare moment (no jokes, please).
Shortened worm ride dialogue—Paul now immediately understands the situation’s seriousness.
Cut Jessica’s line: “Then share the Word.”
Now, others spread Paul’s legend on their own, reinforcing authenticity.
Trimmed pre-departure discussion between Jessica and Paul.
Removed Paul’s shouting: “That’s not hope.”
Removed Jessica’s line doubting the storm—she should be more confident as a Reverend Mother.
Inserted new quote and Chapter Three title card: “The Prophet.”
Removed Jessica’s later scene with Alia.
Added subtle Voice effect when the Reverend Mother says “Enough” to Irulan—suggesting Bene Gesserit control.
Shortened Feyd-Rautha’s “birthday gift” scene and recolored with green tint to reflect the poisonous environment of Giedi Prime (infrared visuals altered).
Removed Feyd-Rautha’s concern for Rabban—makes him colder and more ruthless.
Removed Irulan’s inquiry about Feyd’s mother—preserved as Feyd’s later revelation for greater dramatic effect.
Removed Chani and her friend’s conversation doubting Gurney—better left to the viewer’s perspective.
Removed Chani’s line calling Gurney “a lot of water.” — not in the novel.
Removed Paul’s line to Chani about using atomics only for defense—this moral conflict plays out visually.
Removed shot of Irulan picking up Paul’s cylinder.
Her lines are now played over Shaddam IV’s walk for smoother transition.
Removed scene where Paul discovers the family’s atomics directly.
Gurney’s setup is enough to imply their presence.
Shortened the Maker Keeper’s scene with Jessica.
Removed Jessica’s naive question about the baby worm.
The scene now ends with her being presented the Water of Life, then cuts to Paul—signaling his impending trial.
Added new dream sequence showing a possible future using unused footage.
Added Spacing Guild dream sequence (from Dune 1984).
Removed Shishakli’s death—felt abrupt and out of place right after her previous scene.
Removed adult Alia from Paul’s vision.
Re-edited to appear as though Paul is seeing himself.
New inner voice added.
Edited Paul’s meeting with the Maker Keeper so that she she does know not about his arrival.
Subtitles rewritten to be more cryptic and in line with the book’s tone.
Modified Chani’s involvement in Paul’s prophecy:
Jessica does not use the Voice.
Chani chooses to help Paul out of love and belief.
Her tears scene has been trimmed significantly.
Reorganized the final battle:
Gurney now has his moment before Paul assassinates Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
Removed Gurney’s line “And my friends” — inconsistent with his portrayal.
Princess Wensicia narration added.
Additional Notes​

Numerous scenes have been rescored with Toto music.
Several “inner voices” have been added to deepen character perspective and atmosphere.