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Dune: Prophecy

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"Dune: The Sisterhood" redirects here. For the novel, see Sisterhood of Dune.

Dune: Prophecy
Genre
Based on
Developed by
ShowrunnerAlison Schapker
Starring
Music byVolker Bertelmann
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locations
  • Hungary
  • Jordan
CinematographyPierre Gill
Running time63-66 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseNovember 17, 2024 (2024-11-17) –
present

Dune: Prophecy is an American science fiction television series developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker for HBO. Set in Frank Herbert's Dune universe, the series focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful social, religious, and political force whose members possess superhuman powers and abilities after undergoing years of intense physical and mental conditioning. Dune: Prophecy is a prequel to the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune, which adapts the first half of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, and it takes place some 10,000 years before the events of the film. The show, which draws upon, but is set after, the Great Schools of Dune novel trilogy (2012–2016) by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, is produced by Legendary Television, with Schapker serving as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.

During Legendary Entertainment's 2016 acquisition of the television and film rights to the Dune book series, it began development of a two-part film adaptation with Denis Villeneuve serving as director by 2017. Legendary Television ordered the series in 2019 as a spin-off project from Villeneuve's films. Various creative figures joined by 2019, and following creative overhauls, Schapker became the show-runner, with Anna Foerster serving as director for multiple episodes by June 2023. Meanwhile, casting took place from November 2022 to June 2023. Principal photography began in November 2022 in Budapest and Jordan, and wrapped in December 2023.

The first season of Dune: Prophecy premiered on November 17, 2024 to mostly positive reviews. It is set to conclude with its sixth episode on December 22, 2024.[1]

Plot

[edit]

Set 10,000 years before the events of Dune, the series "follows sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they combat forces that threaten the future of humanity, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit."[2]

Cast and characters

[edit]

Main

[edit]

Recurring

[edit]
  • Tabu as Sister Francesca, a powerful Bene Gesserit and the Emperor's former lover, whose return to the palace "strains the balance of power in the capital."[12]
    • Charithra Chandran as Young Francesca, whose early life and romance with the Emperor are seen in flashbacks.[13]

Guest

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Episodes

[edit]
No.Title [15]Directed byWritten by [16]Original air date [15]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"The Hidden Hand"Anna FoersterDiane Ademu-JohnNovember 17, 2024 (2024-11-17)0.205[17]
Over 10,000 years before the birth and ascension of Paul Atreides, sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen join the Sisterhood, an order of women trained to serve the Great Houses of the Imperium as Truthsayers. When Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul dies after envisioning a burning body, Valya uses the Voice to force Dorotea, Raquella's granddaughter and successor, to kill herself before she can destroy the Sisterhood's breeding program. Thirty years later, Valya, now Mother Superior, arranges for trainee Princess Ynez, daughter of Emperor Javicco Corrino, to marry nine-year-old Pruwet Richese, which will stabilize the Corrino bloodline for generations while strengthening their control of the desert planet Arrakis and its invaluable spice. Imperial Truthsayer Kasha Jinjo has unsettling visions after meeting soldier Desmond Hart, who claims Imperium-based insurgents, and not the native Fremen, were responsible for the ambush that wiped out his entire regiment. Valya dismisses Kasha's warnings. Visiting a nightclub, Ynez has sex with Imperial Swordmaster Keiran Atreides. Following a conversation with Javicco that reveals his unease with Ynez's marriage, Desmond meets with Pruwet and uses a "great power" to immolate him, an attack that simultaneously immolates Kasha. Valya discovers Kasha's body, prompting her to recall Raquella's visions.
2"Two Wolves"John CameronElizabeth Padden and Kor AdanaNovember 24, 2024 (2024-11-24)TBD
After Kasha's inconclusive autopsy, Valya leaves with Theodosia to protect Ynez. Natalya angers Ferdinand by denying Javicco caused Pruwet's death. Desmond, who claims a sandworm swallowed him, tells Javicco he killed Pruwet for him; Javicco arrests him, but Natalya recommends using Desmond's powers. Valya has Tula put her protégée, Raquella's great-great-granddaughter Lila, through the Agony ritual to investigate the killings; Lila envisions Valya killing her grandmother Dorotea, and falls into a coma. Constantine has sex with Shannon, who disdained Pruwet, and reveals Desmond's involvement in Pruwet's death. Valya brings news of Kasha's death: Ynez is agonized, and Javicco hides Desmond's guilt. Valya interrogates Desmond, who says Kasha was corrupt; Javicco refuses to prosecute. Keiran, dismayed by aristocrats' spice monopoly, copies the palace's layout for the insurgents, revealing himself as one. Ynez tells Keiran she and Constantine were once kidnapped. Ferdinand threatens Javicco, but Desmond burns and intimidates him. Valya reveals she supported rebellion on Arrakis, and learns Keiran's name from her spy, nightclub bartender Sister Mikaela. Later, Desmond says he wants to eradicate the Sisterhood, and that Valya is no longer welcome there; she employs the Voice to compel him to suicide. He successfully resists, mocking her: she retreats.
3"Sisterhood Above All"TBAMonica Owusu-Breen and Jordan GoldbergDecember 1, 2024 (2024-12-01)TBD
4"Twice Born"TBAKevin Lau & Suzanne WrubelDecember 8, 2024 (2024-12-08)TBD
5"In Blood, Truth"TBACarlito Rodriguez & Leah Benavides RodriguezDecember 15, 2024 (2024-12-15)TBD
6TBATBAElizabeth Padden & Suzanne WrubelDecember 22, 2024 (2024-12-22)TBD

Production

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Development

[edit]

In November 2016, Legendary Entertainment had acquired the film and television rights for the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert from his estate.[18][19] Legendary eventually contacted Denis Villeneuve to direct a two-part film adaptation of the novel by the next month, and was confirmed as director by February 2017.[20][21] Legendary Television announced a full series order of Dune: The Sisterhood in June 2019, produced for WarnerMedia's then-streaming service HBO Max.[22][23][24] The series would focus on the Bene Gesserit order and serve as a prequel to Villeneuve's 2021 film Dune,[25] based on material from Dune and the 2012 prequel novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.[16] Villeneuve was set to direct and produce the series' pilot with Jon Spaihts writing the screenplay. Both would serve as executive producers alongside Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Herbert's son, Brian.[26][27] Villeneuve said, "The Bene Gesserit have always been fascinating to me. Focusing a series around that powerful order of women seemed not only relevant and inspiring but a dynamic setting for the television series."[28]

Shortly after its announcement, the project received criticism for its lack of female creatives except for Herbert's granddaughter, Kim Herbert.[29][30] Dana Calvo was hired in July 2019 to serve as showrunner alongside Spaihts.[31][32] In November 2019, Spaihts left the series to focus on Dune: Part Two (2024).[33][34] The Hollywood Reporter reported that Legendary Television was "not happy" with Spaihts's early work as showrunner and opted to remove him.[33] Diane Ademu-John had been hired as the new showrunner by July 2021.[35][36] As production of Dune: Part Two progressed, Villeneuve was no longer able to direct and was replaced by Johan Renck as director for the first two episodes in April 2022.[37] Shortly after production began, Diane Ademu-John had exited the project as co-showrunner but remained the executive producer; this left Alison Schapker as the sole showrunner.[38] In February 2023, Renck also exited the project, resulting in the project being on hiatus.[5] He was replaced that June by Anna Foerster, who would direct multiple episodes, including the pilot.[39] In November 2023, the series was retitled Dune: Prophecy and set to release on Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service, Max.[40][41] In November 2024, Schapker explained that the series would explore multiple time periods, with the characters' pasts adapted from the Great Schools of Dune novel trilogy, and the present timeline original to the television series.[42]

Casting

[edit]

In October 2022, Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, Indira Varma, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, and Chloe Lea were cast to star in the series.[3][7][8] Travis Fimmel joined the cast the following month.[2][43] On December 1, 2022, Mark Strong, Jade Anouka, and Chris Mason joined the cast in starring roles.[9] Josh Heuston and Edward Davis would join in recurring roles later that month.[10] During Renck's exit in February 2023, Henderson had also left.[39] In June, Olivia Williams was cast to replace Henderson, with Jodhi May cast to replace Varma, who exited the series due to scheduling conflicts.[5] In May 2024, it was announced that Tabu had joined the cast of the series as Sister Francesca,[12] Jihae was cast as Reverend Mother Kasha, the Emperor's Truthsayer,[14] and Jessica Barden was cast as the younger version of Valya.[4] The younger versions of Tula, Francesca and Kasha are portrayed by Emma Canning, Charithra Chandran and Yerin Ha, respectively.[6] Mark Addy plays Evgeny Harkonnen, Valya and Tula's uncle.[11]

Filming

[edit]

The series was originally scheduled to start filming on November 2, 2020, in Budapest and Jordan.[44] It began production on November 22, 2022, under the working title Dune: The Sisterhood, with Renck confirming the start on his Instagram account.[45][46] In July 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that, following a winter hiatus, production was set to resume in Budapest amidst the WGA and SAG strikes due to the series' talent working under the UK-based union Equity.[47] Filming had concluded by December 2023, with Pierre Gill having served as lead cinematographer. Gill did not use the StageCraft virtual production technology, which he had previously utilized in the television series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, as the production primarily relied on practical sets and production values.[48]

Music

[edit]

Jónsi was originally hired to compose the show's score.[49] However, by October 2023, Volker Bertelmann was set to compose the score for the series.[50]

Marketing

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Max released a teaser trailer for the series on May 15, 2024.[51] A second teaser was released on July 18, 2024.[52] On October 17, 2024, the official trailer was unveiled during a panel at New York Comic Con.[53]

Release

[edit]

Originally to premiere on the streaming service Max, Dune: Prophecy was rebranded as an HBO Original in July 2024 and was released on Max and HBO on November 17, 2024.[40][54][55]

Reception

[edit]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 54 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Grounded by reliably terrific performances from Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, Dune: Prophecy lacks the spice of Denis Villeneuve's films but compensates with addictively perilous palace intrigue."[56] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[57]

The premiere of Dune: Prophecy drew 1.2 million U.S. viewers across platforms, with audience growing another 75% the following day, bringing the total to 2.1 million viewers.[58]

References

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  1. ^ Gomez, Dessi (November 18, 2024). "'Dune: Prophecy' Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Arrive?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Otterson, Joe (November 8, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Casts Travis Fimmel". Variety. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (October 4, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Casts Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson". Variety. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (May 15, 2024). "Dune: Prophecy Casts End of the F—ing World Star Jessica Barden". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Cordero, Rosy (June 30, 2023). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Olivia Williams & Jodhi May Join Max Series in Recastings as Anna Foerster Boards as New Director". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f O'Keefe, Meghan (November 11, 2024). "Dune: Prophecy Review: HBO's Lavish New Sci-Fi Drama Gives Dune Back to the Herbert Heads". Decider. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (October 13, 2022). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Game of Thrones & Obi-Wan Star Indira Varma Joins HBO Max & Legendary Prequel Series as Empress Natalya". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
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  49. ^ "Jónsi". Representing Composers & Music Supervisors. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
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