Dune: Prophecy, the prequel series set in the same universe as Denis Villeneuve’s films, centers on the two Harkonnen sisters who were members of the Bene Gesserit in the organization’s early days, 10,000 years before Timothée Chalamet Paul Atreides landed on Arrakis.
The show is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, but also goes beyond that source material. In a recent press conference Reactor attended, showrunner Alison Schapker explained why she and her writing team went beyond the events of Sisterhood.
“We’re interested in Valya Harkonnen’s whole lifetime,” she said, referencing the central character played by Emily Watson, “so we’re looking at her upbringing and how she came to the sisterhood in one aspect of our series. But then in the other time period of our series, we’re seeing Valya as a person who has grown the power of the sisterhood, who is in charge, who is then faced with a crisis.”
Schapker went on to explain that viewers will be “toggling between two time periods” throughout the season, with the earlier time period taking place during the events in Sisterhood of Dune. The second time period, which occurs decades later, tells a story not seen in the book, though Schapker emphasized that the later time period was created “in conjunction with the Herbert Estate and very carefully and respectfully of the world building in the novels.”
The two timelines, however, both center on one character: Valya Harkonnen. “The time period that’s set in the past is very much about Valya Harkonnen’s rise to leadership in the Sisterhood and where that came from, and what the Imperium was like, and her consolidation of power in that earlier time period,” explained Schapker. “And in the present, we’re telling a story about her power being under real crisis and duress.”
We can see these two moments in time unfold when the six-episode season of Dune: Prophecy premieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. New episodes drop subsequent Sundays.
