Dune: Prophecy: Release Date and Everything We Know About the Series
Dune: The Sisterhood has had a name change and is now Dune: Prophecy, a name that is much clearer and that relates to the arrival of Paul Atreides and the role that the Bene Gesserit played in that. The series is a prequel, and while it doesn’t feature the characters of Chani, Lady Jesica, Paul Atreides, and the rest of those we saw in Denis Villeneuve’s first and second films, Dune and Dune: Part 2, it tells a story that is connected and where important things happen that set the events of the films in motion.
The series is an HBO production, which brought us Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, so this is a series that aims to be as epic and as big as the films with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, which are part of a trilogy that will end with the release of Dune: Messiah, where we will see more of Paul Atreides’ fight to become a leader and free the empire from oppression. And the advantage of the series is that it’s kind of an origin story, which means you can watch it even if you haven’t seen or read anything about Dune, and you’re going to understand it.
The Trailer for Dune: Prophecy
The Dune trailer shows a little more of the Bene Gesserit’s struggle to gain power and influence in the Imperium, gaining allies in the most powerful houses, but also making enemies who wanted them out of the game, long before the birth of Paul Atreides began to be planned. The first teaser for the series confirms that this story takes place thousands of years before the birth of Paul Atreides, before the Bene Gesserit were known as Bene Gesserit, but were already advising the most powerful houses, to help them distinguish the truth. The series shows the great power that this group had and the networks they wove to achieve their goals, but which also had unexpected consequences.
The Development of Dune: Prophecy
Inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, Dune: Prophecy began with the goal of expanding the universe beyond the films. From the beginning, a different approach was sought than the film adaptations, aiming for a narrative focused on politics and intrigue within the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. Legendary Television ordered the series in 2019, with several creative figures joining that year. Following multiple creative overhauls, Lost‘s Alison Schapker became the showrunner. After facing multiple challenges that included the coronavirus pandemic, filming ultimately began in November 2022 and concluded in December 2023. The design and special effects teams worked hard to capture the essence of the era in which the series is set. This involved creating new sets, costumes, and technologies that reflected a society at the height of its evolution, but also marked by conflicts and ancient secrets.
The Cast of Dune: Prophecy
The films feature a killer cast including Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh , and more, and the series has an impressive cast as well.
Dune: Prophecy stars Chornobyl’s Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen, The Witcher’s Jodhi May as Empress Natalya (an important figure who manages to unify the most powerful houses in the universe), 1917 and Kingsman: The Secret Service’s Mark Strong as Emperor Javiccio Corrino (ancestor of Princess Irulan), Vikings’ Travis Fimmel, and An Education’s Olivia Williams as Tula Harkonnen.
Villeneuve is not directing this time, but he is one of the producers of the series and that is a very good sign that this story will have continuity with the films. Max says: Additionally, actress Jessica Barden, nominated for the British Independent Film Award (BIFA) in the category of Best Supporting Actress, has just joined the cast of the series. Barden will play Valya Harkonnem, an ambitious, headstrong, and energetic young woman who dreams of restoring her family’s noble status. But when a tragedy shatters her plans for the future, she finds herself on a new path that leads her to the Brotherhood. Alongside Jessica, Tabu, Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Johdi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason and Shalom Brune-Franklin complete the stellar cast of the series.
What is Dune: Prophecy About?
Like the films, the series is based on the stories and characters from Frank Herbert’s novel but is set around 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides and the murder of his family in Arrakis. According to Collider, the series is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune, which was not written by Frank Herbert, but was instead one of the stories that were written by his son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson some years later. The story supposedly takes place in a time known as the Butlerian Jihad, which was a time of chaos in history, where all computers and intelligent technology were destroyed.
The protagonists are the sisters Griffin and Valya, from the Harkonnen family, who fight to restore the family fortune, and eventually lead to the creation of the Bene Gesserit, which is the religious group that carries out secret plans, that are connected to the prophecy of which Paul is a part. With this, we are going to see how the Bene Gesserit are created and how they become some of the most powerful characters in the universe, capable of controlling and influencing anyone who crosses their path, as we see, for example, with Lady Jessica when she becomes a Reverend Mother in the second Dune movie.
How Does it Connect with Denis Villeneuve’s Films?
As we see from the synopsis, the series shows several key characters from the Harkonnen and Corrino families, as well as showing how the Bene Gesserit were created, who are very important characters in the Dune books and films. This takes place long before Paul, but what happens in this story eventually leads to his birth and his becoming a sort of messiah in the universe. The Bene Gesserit even go so far as to control the births of certain key characters and ensure that certain bloodlines are maintained, so the formation of the group at this point is what eventually leads to Lady Jessica meeting Leto Atreides and having her child, who is destined to change the world.
