Following the release of the Dune: Prophecy's teaser trailer in May, Max has unveiled the official trailer and it looks every bit the epic space opera we expected from what will likely be one of the best Max shows when it's released in November.
Set “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”. The new show looks to firmly set out its stall as Game of Thrones in space with political scheming and plotting for power aplenty.
The new trailer teases conflict within the Imperium and sows seeds for the creation of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood as two Harkonnen sisters make moves among the great houses. It also gives us a glimpse of some of the stunning locations in the series, opening up the universe of Dune beyond Arrakis. Emily Watson’s Valya Harkonnen hints at the war to come as she warns: “The more influence our sisterhood gains, the more enemies we make.”
What is Dune: Prophecy about?
Dune: Prophecy, formerly titled Dune: The Sisterhood, is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Frank Herbert’s son Brian Herbert and renowned sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson. While it was announced over five years ago, delays due to the pandemic and the Hollywood writers' strikes have resulted in major creative overhauls throughout its production.
While some big names such as Shirley Henderson and Indira Varma have dropped out of the show, the cast still remains stacked, with the likes of Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong, Olivia Williams, Jessica Barden and Bollywood megastar Tabu joining Mortimer. Alison Schapker, formerly of Altered Carbon and Westworld serves as showrunner.
Prophecy is not all Dune fans have to look forward to either, with Villeneuve having announced earlier this year his plans to finish his trilogy with an adaptation of Dune: Messiah after the release of Dune Part 2 on Max in May. We could be in for a bit of a wait there though with the director looking to shoot a project outside of the Dune universe first. He has given a promising update however, announcing: “I know exactly what to do. I’m writing it right now.”
The future on Max looks bright for lovers of genre TV over the next eighteen months, with Dune: Prophecy joined by The Batman spin-off Penguin, a second season of The Last of Us and Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
