Timothée Chalamet left off ‘Dune 3' launch amid Oscar loss, tabloid buzz

Timothée Chalamet’s absence from the Los Angeles premiere event for Dune: Part Three wasn’t a scheduling issue.

Reportedly, he was deliberately not invited.

Rob Shuter in his Naughty But Nice Substack shared that the decision was made quietly in the wake of Chalamet’s high-profile defeat at the 98th Academy Awards to Michael B. Jordan and the ongoing media frenzy surrounding his relationship with Kylie Jenner.

“He’s become a distraction,” one insider explained to the reporter. “Every question would have been about the Oscar loss and Kylie — not the movie.”

The launch, which featured co-stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, was designed to keep the spotlight firmly on the film itself.

“The cast was relieved,” another source noted. “This way the focus stayed on the project.”

Industry insiders emphasized that the move had nothing to do with Chalamet’s performance in Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster franchise, but rather his growing tabloid presence.

“He’s become a tabloid story. And right now, that’s a liability,” said one source.

Although absent in person, Chalamet did appear via a pre-recorded video message, praising Villeneuve and thanking the team behind the trilogy.

Still, the underlying message was clear: the studio wanted to shield the film from outside distractions.