Dune: Prophecy Trailer Flashes Back 10,000 Years Before The Films, But Follows A Familiar Family
We've seen David Lynch's psychedelic take on the first "Dune" novel in his 1984 film, we witnessed the precipitous rise of Paul Atreides through director Denis Villeneuve's two epic and complex blockbusters, but we've never seen anything quite like this. Amid all the wars and politicking and worm-riding, the mysterious sect of women pulling the strings behind the curtain known as the Bene Gesserit have hardly received the spotlight that they probably deserve. Until "Part Two" introduced us to Léa Seydoux's Lady Margot Fenring, Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica and Charlotte Rampling's Reverend Mother were the only two members of this religious order that viewers ever actually met.
That finally changes in a big way with the upcoming spin-off series slated to debut on Max, initially known as "Dune: The Sisterhood" but since rebranded as "Dune: Prophecy." (Max sadly turned down my own personal pitches for the title: "Space Witches: A Dune Saga" and the Elton John-themed "Bene and the Gesserits." Their loss!) Set ten thousand years before the events of "Dune," the prequel series will tell the story of how this enigmatic, cult-like organization rose to prominence and eventually held sway on the entire galaxy — not just politically, but even in terms of manipulating the genetic destiny of the humanity in their obsessive quest to create the messianic Kwisatz Haderach.
In a pleasant surprise, Max dropped the first teaser for the series and you can watch it at the link above!
Dune: Prophecy debuts this fall
"Power comes with a price." If anything sums up the main message of author Frank Herbert's millennia-spanning saga, it would be that line of dialogue uttered by the narrator early in the teaser. True "Dune"-heads know that the Bene Gesserit came to power through their unique ability as "truthsayers," essentially acting as a sentient lie detector test for the Great Houses and establishing themselves as an indispensable resource that ought to wield considerable influence on galactic matters. From there, their ambitions grew much higher ... to the point of putting a member of their own order on the throne. And not just anyone, but a Harkonnen, at that.
If you thought Paul Atreides was a little too keen on playing god in "Dune," well, that's nothing compared to what the Bene Gesserit have up their sleeves in "Dune: Prophecy." Adapted from the 2012 novel "Sisterhood of Dune" (written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson), the series comes from showrunner/executive producer Alison Schapker and co-developer/executive producer Diane Ademu-John (who joined after a creative shake-up that saw original showrunner and "Dune" screenwriter Jon Spaihts leave the project). The season will consist of only six episodes, multiple of which will be directed by Anna Foerster. The series stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Yerin Ha, and more.
"Dune: Prophecy" arrives on Max this fall on a date to be announced.
From the expansive universe of "Dune," created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, DUNE: PROPHECY follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit