Dune 2 Director Says Sandworm Bucket Is An ‘Impressive Design’

Dune: Part Two is coming to theaters later this week and is already receiving rave reviews, but some online communities can only focus on one thing: the now-infamous sandworm-shaped popcorn bucket. The internet, being what it is, took the joke and ran so much further with it than anybody really ought to when it first caught wind of the monstrosity. I don’t think I can repeat half the stuff that folks have said they plan to do with it. But one important opinion has been silent on the matter until recently: that is, the opinion of Dune: Part 2’s director, Denis Villeneuve. You tell me what side you think he lands on.

In a recent interview alongside Dune star Timothée Chalamet in The New York Times, Villeneuve and Timmy were asked what they thought of the fervor over the popcorn bucket. Villeneuve, ever the consummate professional who refuses to be caught slipping, stated that he was, in fact, aware of the uproar it had caused. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

“I don’t want to make stupid jokes right that will I regret tomorrow morning. But I will say this. When I saw it, I went, ‘Hoooooly smoke.’ What the [expletive]!? At the same time, it created a lot of fun online. So maybe it’s positive? It’s some kind of…impressive design.”

Chalamet, who it should be noted apparently shot Villeneuve a “quick glance” as the question landed, makes Villeneuve’s delicate dance around the matter even funnier by more or less cutting to the point. “I can’t tell if someone is at home right now going, ‘My design worked perfectly and everyone’s talking about it.’ Or if someone’s brutally offended by the response.” Thank you ModdedController360, for embracing your truth right there and then. When the world needed you most, you gave voice to our concerns.

The conversation moves on quickly, and the two are much more charitable to the popcorn bucket and its creators than I’d be, but not before clarifying that Villeneuve was “not personally involved in the design process,” according to Chalamet. Villeneuve jokingly responds, “I thought you were!” With that cleared up, the next step seems obvious: tracking down the bucket’s creator and asking them how much spice they ingested when they made it.