Dune: Prophecy

TheDune - iverse is expanding . Just months afterDune : Part Twodebuted to vital acclaim , HBO is releasingDune : Prophecy , a long - in - the - works prequel serial publication that take place roughly 10,000 geezerhood before the parentage of Paul Atreides and decade after the Butlerian Jihad ( AKA the Machine War ) . Echoes of the past and the futurity remain in the series develop by Diane Ademu - John and Alison Schapker , butProphecyquickly establishes itself as its own thing .

Cast

Prophecyisbased on theDunenovelSisterhood of Dune , write by Frank Herbert ’s Logos Brian and Kevin J. Anderson . Those novels , written after Herbert ’s destruction , are controversial among sports fan of the serial : are they a cash grab or an movement to enrich the beloved sci - fi population established by the iconic author ? Regardless of your opinion , Dune’smassive world has formally made its television debut .

Dune: Prophecy Wears Its TV Bonafides Proudly

The Series Tracks The Origins Of The Bene Gesserit

TheBene Gesseritare a mysterious organization in theDunemovies , butProphecypulls the veil back to show the beginnings of the mathematical group that will accidentally lift Paul Atreides to big businessman . In this era of theDuneuniverse , " think machines " have been banned and the Bene Gesserit see this as an opportune time to writhe their way of life into the foyer of power that the Great Houses occupy .

How they ’ll get there remains to be date . It involve the Corrino family , longtime custodian ofthe Imperiumand represented here by Emperor Javicco Corrino ( Mark Strong , perfectly stoical ) and his folk , Empress Natalya ( Olivia Williams ) and their daughter Ynez ( Sarah - Sofie Boussnina ) . The Bene Gesserit are trying to prop up great power by recruiting Ynez as one of their own before she is installed on the throne .

As a prequel set 100 before the effect of Paul ’s story , Dune : Prophecy can right set up up a satisfying ending to the core eight - book Dune Saga .

Dune Prophecy Poster

manage this plan is Sisterhood loss leader Valya Harkonnen ( the always unnerving Emily Watson ) and her sister , Reverend Mother Tula ( Olivia Williams ) . But there are factions within the Bene Gesserit that reject the Harkonnen ’s moves for business leader and seek a holier way of life . In the first installment alone , there is enough expiry , betrayal , and scheme to matchGame of Thrones .

It ’s a strong start for a serial publication that Warner Bros. presumably has mellow hopes for . Whereas Denis Villeneuve ’s moving-picture show are austere and beastly in their make-up , Dune : Prophecyis filled with sci - fi excess , less about the fringes of this empire and more about the multitude and planets that fill it . In its dual timeline , Prophecyexplores the history of the Harkonnen sisters at the center of attention of the serial publication , but its present day timeline is much more straggling , encompass rebel plots , orphic messianic figures , and petty squabbles betweenthe Great Houses .

I do wonder howDune : Prophecywill manage to hit a satisfying conclusion or , conversely , if Warner Bros. is confident enough in the series to leave us on a cliffhanger

Emily Watson under a veil as Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy

So does it feel like theDunemany have come to know over the last few years ? Yes and no . There is talk of Arrakis , visual sense of sandworms , and that classic Bene Gesserit voice . But what makesDune : Prophecyfeel like a genuine extension of the movies is also what gear up it apart . There are echoes of what we see in the film , but they follow in different tones , as if the degeneration toward the ascetic in the films is just beginning .

It ’s a fascinating position to begin from a optic standpoint , even if there are some issues with pacing . The serial publication is still tasked with acquaint a massive earthly concern and , though we are intimate with the computer architecture of the Imperium , 10,000 year is a large disruption and there are blank shell to meet in throughout the first four episodes that disorder from the main thrust of the plot .

It made me marvel what the veridical plan is here . Some may find the series compelling enough to debar a hollow feeling in the minutes — Watson alone is ground enough for me . With only six episodes in time of year 1 ( four of which were provided to critics ) , I do wonder howDune : Prophecywill do to turn over a comforting conclusion or , conversely , if Warner Bros. is convinced enough in the series to leave us on a cliffhanger , forcing us to wait two to three yr before we get any firmness of purpose .

Headshot Of Emily Watson

Dune : Prophecypremieres on Sunday , November 17 at 9:00 PM ET on HBO . Season 1 consist of six episodes that will air weekly . It is rated TV - MA .

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dress in the universe of Frank Herbert ’s Dune series , Dune : Prophecy , a sci - fi epos , take after the political and spiritual struggle on the desert major planet of Arrakis . As faction vie for dominance of the prized spicery melange , a prophesied hero emerges , challenge the balance of power and the fate of the galaxy .

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Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) looking serious in Dune with Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen from Dune: Prophecy

Dune: Prophecy

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