In the last three years, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune from 2021 and this year’s Dune: Part Two have made over $1.1 billion. This is a massive feat for any franchise, especially since many considered the Dune novels unadaptable to the screen. Now, while we wait for Timothee Chalamet to age to Villeneuve’s liking for Dune: Part Three, the new Dune: Prophecy series has been recently released on November 17, 2024, through Max.
A six-episode debut season inspired by the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune (written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson), Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker developed the series for HBO/Max. With this in mind, it is set in Frank Herbert’s Dune universe and focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit group. A prequel to the aforementioned Villeneuve films, there have already been five episodes released – The Hidden Hand on November 17th, Two Wolves on November 24th, Sisterhood Above All on December 1st, Twice Born on December 8th, and In Blood, Truth on December 15th.
With each episode featuring a different director, the finale entitled The High-Handed Enemy arrived right before Christmas on December 22nd. With each episode debuting on subsequent Sundays, it has a large list of stars, including Emily Watson (Red Dragon 2002, Kingsman: The Golden Circle 2017) as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen, leader of the Sisterhood, Jessica Barden (The End of the F***ing World series, Pieces of Her series) as Young Valya, an ambitious, stubborn and forceful woman who dreams of restoring her family’s noble status, Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense 1999, The Crown series) as Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen, Valya’s biological sister and close ally, and Emma Canning (Domina series, Masters of the Air series) as Young Tula.
It also features Travis Fimmel (Vikings series, Warcraft 2016) as Desmond Hart, “a charismatic soldier with an enigmatic past who seeks to gain the Emperor’s trust at the expense of the Sisterhood, Jodhi May (A World Apart 1988, The Witcher series) as Empress Natalya, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (The Twins & Santa Claus series, The Bridge series) as Princess Ynez, “an independent young princess dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne, Chloe Lea (The Dumping Ground series, Foundation series) as Sister Lila, “the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School with a deep empathy beyond her years, Chris Mason (Vampire Academy 2014, Riverdale series) as Keiran Atreides, Swordmaster of House Corrino, and Shalom Brune-Franklin (Love Me series, The Tourist series)as Mikaela, “a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known.
If that were not enough, the cast also has Mark Strong (The King’s Man 2021, The Penguin series) as Emperor Javicco Corrino, “a man from a great line of war-time Emperors, who is called upon to govern the Imperium and manage a fragile peace, Jade Anouka (Cleaning Up series, His Dark Materials series) in her main role in a series as Sister Theodosia, “a talented and ambitious acolyte at the Sisterhood who harbors a dangerous secret about her past, Edward Davis (Emma 2020, Sanditon series) as Harrow Harkonnen, a “rising politician from a once-great family, who harbors a strong desire to elevate his House to its former glory, Josh Heuston (Dive Club series, Thor: Love and Thunder 2022) as Constantine Corrino, the illegitimate son of Javicco who is “torn between seeking his father’s approval and his own happiness, Faoileann Cunningham (The Northman 2022, Storyland series) as Sister Jen, “a fierce, unpredictable acolyte in training at the Sisterhood School who rarely reveals her emotional core, Aoife Hinds (The Long Call 2021, Hellraiser 2022) as Sister Emeline, “a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who carries fervent religion to her training at the Sisterhood, and Mark Addy (Frost 1998, Still Standing series), as Evgeny Harkonnen, Valya and Tula’s uncle.
The story takes place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides’ birth. Two Harkonnen sisters combat forces that threaten humankind’s future and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
From the first episode, Dune: Prophecy does not shy away from death and treachery with a power struggle opening the series between an adult and a kid, no doubt when Valya uses the Voice to force Dorotea to kill herself. Now, as the show goes on, your views come into play on which side you root for because, unlike the movies where there is a definite sense of the good guy and the heels, Dune: Prophecy feels like rooting for the lesser of the two evils. With the final episode of The High-Handed Enemy set to arrive on Sunday, December 22nd, things need to come to a head and be resolved with the possibility of not getting a second season. Given that we’re talking about the lesser of two evils, we’re getting into territories of who cares.
Shot in Budapest, it brings to life the worlds of Salusa Secundus (the current Imperial power base), Wallach IX (the Bene Gesserit homeworld), and, to a lesser extent, the home worlds of the Atreides and Harkonnen Houses, with Arrakis (the planet where spice is found) only mentioned on the peripheral. This helped dictate Pierre Gill, who was the cinematographer on four episodes of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, cinematography. This is while the acting is played straight with an urgency and lecherous treachery on both sides. Everybody has their own agenda, and they play it in spades.
Dune: Prophecy is currently receiving mixed reviews, probably because of the politics, which are evident in the trailers, and the above-mentioned grey area of who the heels and faces are. It received upwards of 2.1 million views the day after its release. As of this time, there are no concrete plans for further exploring the world of Dune, with Part III dropping whenever Denis Villeneuve feels the time’s right. Nonetheless, Dune Prophecy is a completely different entity, and it will be interesting to see what happens next. That is why Cryptic Rock gives the first five episodes of Dune: Prophecy 4 out of 5 stars.
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