FollowingDune Part Two’smassive success, it was no surprise that Warner Bros. Discovery and Legendary would want to expand on the mythos with a television series.Dune: Prophecyrecently premiered its first episode on HBO, providing insight into the world ofDunethousands of years before the birth of Paul Atreides. With a focus on the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit,Dune: Prophecyis more concerned with theorigins of the manipulative and powerful Harkonnenfamily, showcasing how the quarrels of the royal houses in the past would help shape the world that would lead to the events of Denis Villeneuve’s films.
Despite the series' disconnect from the feature films, there is still overlap since they occur in the same sharedDuneuniverse. Both thematically and visually,Dune: Prophecymatches the style and aesthetic of the two films Villeneuve created, especially in its production design. Look no further than the sandworm scene featured at the end of the first episode. As it turns out,the acclaimed director gave his blessing to include this sandworm design.In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Dune: Prophecyshowrunner Alison Schapker revealed the creative overlap while also explaining the intention of the series to separate itself from the films on a story level:
“When we go to Arrakis, the sandworms have a similar design, so Denis was kind enough to bless that overlap, but we also wanted to go to our own corners of theDuneuniverse, and that’s why we explicitly did not set the majority of our action on Arrakis.”
‘Dune Prophecy’ Wants to Set Itself Apart With a Tragic Story of Its Own
Instead of having the series take place on Arrakis and explore territory that viewers have become accustomed to throughout the two films,Dune: Prophecyshifts the story to an entirely new setting and a set of power dynamics with various characters. In that same interview with THR, Schapker elaborated on the unique story thatProphecyaims to tell about this sect of characters and their role in the larger worldoriginally created by Frank Herbert:
“I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want to know more about the Bene Gesserit, myself included. So we’re exploring it through the lens of these Harkonnen characters, who, 10,000 years in the future, are nothing but monstrous villains. So where did that family come from, and what’s their story? In this case, it’s a tragic story.”
‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 2 Recap: Two Wolves Fight for Power
A much better episode than the first, Dune: Prophecy sets up a duel for power between Desmond Hart and Valya.
However, despite the planets and characters being completely different from theDunefilms, there are still similarities that fans of the franchise will notice when watching the series. Besides the sandworm at the end of the first episode, there is also the defense shield technology featured in sparring scenes, as well as the voice used by the Bene Gesserit. While the HBO series aims to tell its own tragic story set in the past, fans can at least count on visual consistency with the movies, which is incredibly impressive, especially sinceDune: Prophecyis working on a TV budget. Hopefully, there will be more visual overlaps to help further immerse viewers in the world ofDune.
Dune: Prophecy
Set in the universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, this sci-fi epic follows the political and spiritual struggles on the desert planet of Arrakis. As factions vie for control of the prized spice melange, a prophesied hero emerges, challenging the balance of power and the fate of the galaxy.
