Powerful priestesses take centre stage in ‘Dune: Prophecy’

Fans of Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed, popular series of film adaptations of the Dune novels by Frank Herbert will have to wait until 2026 for the third instalment in the director’s planned trilogy. In the meantime, there’s a new Dune universe fix to keep them entertained. Based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Herbert’s son Brian and Kevin J Anderson, Dune: Prophecy is a series set 10,000 years before the events of the films. It explores the rise of the powerful priestesses of the Bene Gesserit and the relationship between sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen, whose dark personal histories will have far-ranging consequences for the future of Dune.

Starring Mark Strong, Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel and Johdi May, and executive produced by showrunner Alison Schapker, the series promises to offer Dune fans a whole new world of spice battles, intrigue and interplanetary political machination. Tymon Smith spoke to some of the cast and crew.

How familiar were you with the Dune universe before you were approached to be part of this series?

Mark Strong (Emperor Javico Corrino) : I knew that David Lynch had made the film with Sting, although I’d never seen it. I saw an incredible documentary about Jodorowsky, who tried to put Dune together a long time ago. I saw the new movies, which I really admired and thought were brilliant. I knew about the books but hadn’t read any. It wasn’t a world that I knew much about. Once it came up, I started to read the books and, wow, they’re dense and rich. I needed to delve into all 30- something books, and the ones his son carried on writing. If you want to get into that world, you’d have to take a sabbatical to read them.

How did you prepare for your roles?

Emily Watson (Valya Harkonnen) : Olivia and I went to the National Portrait Gallery in London and we sat in front of the portraits of Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Lady Jane Grey — all the figures from the Tudor era. They were women who wielded power but lived in a desperately dangerous world, where their lives were always in danger but they managed to control the narrative. To this day, we think of it as a golden age, when in fact it was a police state.

Did you feel the pressure of bringing a new part of such a popular franchise to screen?

Olivia Williams (Tula Harkonnen): Early on, when I got the part, a service man at my home asked me which role I was playing next. I told him I was playing Tula Harkonnen and he knelt at my feet. It made me realise how serious people are about the story. I have the hopes and dreams of a generation resting in my hands — I’ve got to get the iconography and terminology right. We also had the advantage that Villeneuve’s story precedes this one by 10,000 years, so we’ve got a bit of leeway because we can evolve into Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya’s characters without offending anyone.

Alison Schapker (Showrunner): It would have been naïve not to feel daunted. This beloved universe recently had a treatment by Denis Villeneuve that excited fans. At the same time we asked, ‘is there room to tell more Dune stories?’ Comparisons are inevitable and we felt that pressure. We knew we had to make the best show we could. We’ve created our own momentum and collaboration. The beauty of Dune is that it’s such a visceral and immersive universe.

Describe your characters, their role in the story and its impact on the Dune universe.

Watson: We first see the Harkonnen sisters as one. They’ve harnessed their rage and the trauma, and have dedicated themselves to the sisterhood whose job it is to guide humanity. They think they control the future of mankind but that starts to fracture and their relationship comes under strain as the cracks start to show and the secrets they share come to the surface. The title Dune: Prophecy suggests we’re laying down a path to go forward into the future. The sisterhood control the narrative — the commodity of truth is manipulable. It’s political dark arts. The give and take of power is shaped by what they want to happen.

Williams: Things get muddy trying to keep the two worlds running parallel, balancing what’s best for the sisterhood and what’s best for the Harkonnens. The grit and the oyster is what this show is about.

Strong: Corrino is an interesting version of “the guy in charge.” He’s the emperor of the universe, which is a great part to play as an actor. What’s fascinating about him is his vulnerability and the fact that he’s managing a fragile peace. I don’t usually play people with power who know what they’re doing. He’s unsure of himself and he doesn’t feel he’s inherited the abilities of his father. He feels like an impostor trying to deal with a world he’s not in control of. The world leaders these days, all the nutcases running the world, can’t betray fragility or vulnerability. They’re unusual people who don’t demonstrate vulnerability at all. If you’re in power, you have to be absolutely sure of what you’re doing. That’s what Corrino tries to do when he’s with people but the camera goes into his personal life and we see behind the façade.

What’s made Frank Herbert’s world such an enduring favourite across generations?

Schapker: The world he created was deep and specific, and grounded in the complexity of what Herbert saw around him. He imagined a future that didn’t dumb down any human complexity. He asked hard philosophical questions through his characters.