Dune: Prophecy is now under way, but how does the series relate to the feature films and what book is it based on? Read on for all the info.
READ MORE: ‘Dune: Prophecy’ review: thrilling prequel with plenty of spice
The first episode of the show aired on HBO on Sunday (November 17), with the remaining five instalments set to arrive on a weekly basis, culminating on December 22. UK viewers can watch it on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
The show has been developed by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker and tells the story of the origins of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful order of women who are skilled in politics, influence and physical conditioning.
It specifically follows Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams) as they combat forces that threaten the future of humanity, who ultimately establish the Bene Gesserit sect.
In a four star review of the new show, NME wrote: “It’s nice to see a show about magic actually solve problems with magic, while the fear felt by students at The Sisterhood as things start to dissolve into chaos should hopefully inspire the upcoming Harry Potter remake. The glimpse of the Great Machine War also tees up a prequel to the prequel if things go well and you don’t need to be Bene Gesserit to see more Dunespin-offs in HBO’s future.”
Denis Villeneuve, who directed the two recent Dune films, confirmed in September that a third film, Dune: Messiah, will be his last for the franchise: “Listen, if Dune: Messiah happens, it will have been many years for me on Arrakis, and I would love to do something else. I think that it would be a good idea for me to make sure that, in Messiah, there are the seeds in the project if someone wants to do something else afterwards, because they are beautiful books.
“They are more difficult to adapt. They become more and more esoteric. It’s a bit more tricky to adapt, but I’m not closing the door. I will not do it myself, but it could happen with someone else.”
What book is Dune: Prophecy based on?
Dune: Prophecy is set approximately 10,000 years before the events depicted in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Dune: Part Two.
It is inspired by the novel Sisterhood Of Dune, the first of the ‘Great Schools Of Dune’ prequel trilogy written by Brian Herbert, the son of Dune’s original author Frank. The younger Herbert wrote the book with Kevin J. Anderson and released it in 2012. The subsequent novels were Mentats Of Dune (2014) and Navigators Of Dune (2016).
Those books were in turn a sequel to the ‘Legends Of Dune’ trilogy, published from 2002 to 2004, also penned by Brian Herbert and Anderson.
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