If you're waiting impatiently for Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya to return in the third Dune film, HBO's latest must-watch TV series Dune: Prophecy is the answer to fill your Sunday-night appointment viewing. Set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi film saga based on Frank Herbert's book series, the new show focuses on the rise of the Bene Gesserit—a sisterhood of "Truthsayers" assigned to each Great House of the Imperium to "help them sift truth from lies"—as they aim to influence Emperor Corrino and his royal family.
For the fantasy prequel, the six-episode series has gathered a female-led cast of award-winning actors and next-gen stars, from Game of Thrones and Succession alums to the leading ladies of Bridgerton. Read on to learn more about the stars of Dune: Prophecy.
The Bene Gesserit
Emily Watson as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen
At the start of Dune: Prophecy, Valya Harkonnen explains via voiceover that her family and others who "share her blood" have been disgraced for generations, after her great-grandfather deserted the fight against the "thinking machines." In the series' present-day timeline, Valya is the current Mother Superior, who aims to grow the Bene Gesserit's influence and restore the Harkonnen name.
Emily Watson, 57, is a London-born Oscar-, Emmy-, and Golden Globe-nominated actress who began her career onstage and has appeared in dozens of movies, including 1996's Breaking the Waves; 1999's Angela's Ashes; 2001's Gosford Park; 2005's Corpse Bride; 2008's Synecdoche, New York; 2014's The Theory of Everything; and 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Her first collaboration with HBO was on the acclaimed miniseries Chernobyl.
Jessica Barden as Young Valya Harkonnen
30 years before the main timeline of Dune: Prophecy, Valya formed a deep bond with the former Mother Superior Raquella. While on her death bed, Raquella gave Valya an apocalyptic vision of Tiran-Arafel, "a holy judgment brought on by a tyrant," and urged her to "use every tool" to increase the Bene Gesserit's power. She's also the first to use the Voice, though it's implied that she learned from Raquella.
Jessica Barden, 32, is an English actress best known for starring as Alyssa in the cult-hit Netflix series The End of the F***ing World. Since her breakout role on the long-running soap Coronation Street in 2007, Barden has appeared in shows and films including 2011's Hanna, 2015's Far from the Madding Crowd and The Lobster, Showtime's Penny Dreadful, Netflix's Pieces of Her, and FX's Better Things and American Horror Stories.
Olivia Williams as Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen
Valya's sister, Tula Harkonnen, helps lead the Bene Gesserit alongside the Mother Superior and teaches the younger members the arts of truth-telling and combat.
Olivia Williams, 56, is a British actress best known for playing Camilla Parker Bowles in the final two seasons of The Crown. After making her major film and TV debuts in ITV's Emma and 1997's The Postman, respectively, she went on to star in projects including 1998's Rushmore, 1999's The Sixth Sense, 2009's An Education, 2012's Anna Karenina, and HBO's The Nevers.
Emma Canning as Young Tula Harkonnen
Emma Canning, who plays young Tula, is an Irish stage and screen actress who graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2019. She's had an impressive breakout year in 2024, appearing in prestige series including Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air and The New Look, and FX's Say Nothing along with Dune: Prophecy. Previously, she appeared in Netflix's The Irregulars and Sky Atlantic's Domina.
Jihae as Reverend Mother Kasha
Kasha Jinjo, who serves as Truthsayer for Emperor Corrino, is a longtime friend of Valya Harkonnen. She's played by Jihae, 35, who grew up in South Korea and began her entertainment career as a model and singer in the 2000s. After her first major acting role in the National Geographic miniseries Mars, she went on to appear in Netflix's Altered Carbon, as one of the many forms of Takeshi Kovacs, and in HBO's Succession, as Kendall's PR consultant Berry Schneider.
Yerin Ha as Young Kasha Jingo
Young Kasha Jingo is played by Yerin Ha, a soon-to-be superstar who will play Sophie Baek, Benedict Bridgerton's love interest, in the forthcoming Bridgerton season 4. The 29-year-old Korean-Australian actress previously played Kwan Ha in both seasons of Paramount+'s Halo.
Tabu as Sister Francesca
Sister Francesca is another longtime friend of the Harkonnens and a member of the Bene Gesserit. She is also a former lover of the Imperium's emperor.
Sister Francesca is played by Tabu, one of the most lauded Hindi actresses in India, and has also starred in films across the Telugu and Tamil film industries as well as Hollywood. The most notable projects among her nearly 100 film credits include Bollywood hits like 1996's Maachis, 1997's Virasat, 2001's Chandni Bar, 2003's Maqbool, 2006's The Namesake, 2007's Cheeni Kum, and 2014's Haider, and 2012's Life of Pi.
Charithra Chandran as Young Francesca
Bridgerton alum Charithra Chandran appears in the Dune: Prophecy series premiere as young Francesca. In addition to the Netflix hit, the 27-year-old British Tamil actress previously starred in Prime Video's Alex Rider and the recent Prime Video rom-com How to Date Billy Walsh. Next up, she's set to play Nefertari Vivi, a.k.a. Miss Wednesday, in season 2 of One Piece.
House Corrino
Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino
Emperor Javicco is the current leader of the Imperium, the galactic empire and world of the Dune franchise. (For Dune: Part 2 fans, this is the same position as Christopher Walken’s Emperor Shaddam IV.) The emperor is played by Mark Strong, a prolific and acclaimed British actor who has starred in films like 2007's Stardust, 2009's Sherlock Holmes, 2012's Zero Dark Thirty, the Kingsman film series, 2019's 1917, and 2022's Tár. He also recently played Carmine Falcone in HBO's The Penguin.
Jodhi May as Empress Natalya Corrino
With her marriage to Emperor Javicco, Empress Natalya united the galaxy in a time of peace. She's portrayed by Jodhi May, the youngest recipient of the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, for 1988's A World Apart when she was 12. She later appeared in 1992's The Last of the Mohicans; 2012's I, Anna; HBO's Gentleman Jack; and BBC's Small Axe. She also dipped her toes into the fantasy genre with roles in Game of Thrones (as Maggy the Frog) and The Witcher (as Queen Calanthe).
Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez Corrino
Princess Ynez, daughter of Javicco and Natalya and the only heir to the Corrino throne, plans to become a member of the Bene Gesserit. However, she finds herself in a complicated situation with her combat instructor Keiran Atreides.
Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, 33, is a Danish actress who previously starred in the Danish series 1864 and The Bridge, as well as The History Channel's Knightfall, and 2021's The Colony.
Josh Heuston as Constantine Corrino
Constantine Corrino is the illegitimate son of Emperor Javicco, who lives with the royal family and has a friendship with his half-sister Ynez. Corrino's often torn between following his personal goals or his father's approval.
Josh Heuston, 28, is an Australian actor and model who has appeared in campaigns for brands including Fendi, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Bumble. He made his acting debut in 2021 on the Australian series Dive Club before appearing in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder and Netflix's Heartbreak High.
Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides
Keiran Atreides is the swordmaster and trainer for House Corrino, who has tons of sexual tension with his latest student, Princess Ynez. As you can guess by the name, he's the ancestor of Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides.
Chris Mason, 33, is a Liverpool-born actor who has held standout roles in several TV series, portraying Leo Humphries in ITV's Broadchurch and Chad Gekko in season 5 of Riverdale. His other notable projects include 2014's The Vampire Academy, Freeform's Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, Bravo's Dirty John, and Peacock's Killing It.
Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart
Desmond Hart is a soldier assumed dead during a mission on Arrakis, who returns to House Corrino as the sole survivor of an attack. The mysterious figure ingratiates himself with Emperor Javicco, but his motives are unknown.
Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor and model who rose to fame in the early '00s, appearing in music videos for Janet Jackson and Jennifer Lopez before starring in a notorious Calvin Klein ad. (Fun fact, he was rumored to be the inspiration for Sex and the City character Smith Jerrod.) As for his acting career, he's best known for playing Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel's Vikings, and he has also appeared in 2016's Warcraft, Max's Raised By Wolves, and Netflix's Boy Swallows Universe.
