We Are Beyond Ecstatic That HBO’s Dune: Prophecy Ended THIS Decades-long Trend
- Denis Villeneuve's Dune franchise is getting an expansion with an upcoming series.
- Dune: Prophecy has united two of the most talented British actresses who have not worked together before.
- The series is based on one of the prequel novels, but it goes much more beyond that.
The Dune franchise is expanding itself beyond the humid deserts of Arrakis with the upcoming HBO prequel show Dune: Prophecy. Few people manage to make book-to-screen adaptations successful and yet fewer manage to turn them into an entire franchise. Denis Villeneuve has been able to do both with the two Timothee Chalamet-led films.
The billion-dollar franchise is now going to explore the past of the matriarchal order Bene Gesserit, which will ultimately decide Paul Atreides’ fate. The upcoming series stars two of the best British actresses, Emily Watson and Olivia Williams. This puts an end to a trend that has been going on for years on end.
Dune: Prophecy Puts a Full Stop to This Trend That Has Been Going On For Years Concerning the Cast
So far, Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune movies have primarily focused on Paul Atreides’ rise to power after his father’s death. However, Frank Herbert’s novel series which is the source material of these movies is much more than the Atreides’ family and their rivalry with other royal families. The universe is not limited to the sands of Arrakis.
The upcoming series, as already mentioned, will focus on Bene Gesserit. Set 10,000 years before the events involving Paul Atreides, the matriarchal order is only beginning to shape up. The biological sisters and members of this sisterhood, Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) are responsible for its rise to prominence.
Although both Watson and Williams are renowned British actresses, this show is the first time they are ever crossing paths as co-stars. Speaking about this with Entertainment Weekly, the Anna Karenina actress said:
Our careers have run in absolute parallel. I was at the Royal Shakespeare Company at the same time she (Emily Watson) was, so we met in the garden of a pub called The Dirty Duck in Stratford-upon-Avon. [..] We’ve bounced in and out of each other’s lives, so this was a very exciting opportunity that felt fateful.
In true Bene Gesserit fashion, the two actresses’ careers are converging in this series as if the universe was saving up their union for this particular series. So, it is safe to say that the project is in good hands.
Is Dune: Prophecy Based On One of Frank Herbert’s Novels?
The first two Dune movies are based on Herbert’s first novel from the series. The author wrote five sequels. The second of these sequels, Dune: Messiah is going to inspire Villeneuve’s third movie. Post Herbert’s death, his son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote several prequel novels that provide the backdrop for this fictional universe.
One of those prequels is Sisterhood of Dune, and it is this novel that provides the starting point for Dune: Prophecy. However, showrunner Alison Schapker and her team also took creative freedom to build this story. She told Entertainment Weekly:
Our story is tethered to the events in that book, but we also are telling a story that takes place 30 years after the events of the book. So we have both the book to draw from, but we also have room to develop our characters and tell the story of Valya Harkonnen across multiple timelines.
So, the series is split into different timelines as the characters deal with the past, and the present, and are also aware of the future. This is not too much of a surprise since it is a known fact that the Reverend Mothers also have memories of the Reverend Mothers that came before them.
Dune: Prophecy is scheduled to premiere in November 2024.
