Children of Dune
As early as 2019, the year the series was announced, there was something rotten in the Kingdom of Frank Herbert, or rather in that of his son Brian. Indeed, Dune : Prophecy is adapted from The Community of Sisterswhich he co-wrote with Kevin J. Anderson to extend the initial cycle after the famous author’s death. Thus, Warner and HBO could offer a prequel to Villeneuve’s two films, then still in development.
But during production, it became apparent that the operation would be more perilous than expected. Several showrunners succeeded one another, until that fateful day in 2022, in the middle of filming, when the channel organized a “creative redesign”. Exit among others Johan Renck, director of the pilot. The reason given by the sources of Deadline ? His interpretation of the series deviated too much from the aesthetic established by Denis Villeneuve. This is the worm that rots this too bland fruit.
Prophecy demonstrates the danger of producing spin-offs from a work with a strong identity: when the artists involved are not always there to ensure artistic coherence (Johan Renck already replaced a Denis Villeneuve taken elsewhere), the studio n has no choice but to roughly mimic their style. A franchise logic which would create an illusion if it extended a generic license to the Fast & Furious, but which betrays its mercantile cynicism in the case of a saga already marked by asserted choices.
Whether we appreciate Villeneuve’s adaptation or not, it is clear that the brutalist architecture which prevails not only in its sets, but also in its staging, suits the aridity of Arrakis particularly wellto its political intrigues, to the colonial power that the Fremen guerrillas are attacking without realizing that it is propelling a new authoritarian figure to the forefront of the political scene.
Spice-opera
Taking place well before these events, Prophecy intends to take us into a larger science fiction universe, showing us both the monastery where the sisters were trained and the imperial palace. With its spaceships, its nightclubs teeming with rebels and its artificial intrigues, the series even quickly turns into space opera… without assuming it. Because absolutely everything is treated on the model established by Villeneuveor at least on the idea that executives in the middle of burnout have of it.
Sententious to the point of ridiculeespecially since certain actors (Travis Fimmel and the hilarious Edward Davis in the lead) confused the set with that of the next Star Wars, Dune : Prophecy presents a universe where everything is just empty digital matte paintings and large rooms with faded walls, whether in the depths of a cell or in the sumptuous salons of the Empire.
Despite the budget invested, it is difficult to believe in the magnitude of this world governed by 3 people in courtyards emptied of even the slightest figure, allowing innumerable aberrant narrative facilitieslike the one that closes the first episode… and launches the stakes of the entire season. Namely the consequences of the death of an aristocrat, while the community of sisters prepares to train the future leader of the galaxy, fearing the realization of a sinister prophecy.
The “Villeneuve style” is plastered over every background, every choice of framing, every political intrigue, as if to vainly maintain the illusion that they are from the same boat… in defiance of history yet very interesting which could have raised the season to the level of other HBO productions. Because by standardizing each of the major castes that confront each other here, the script and artistic direction struggle to grasp the violence of the balance of power that develops between them.
Fear kills the mind
Of course, there are some interesting ideas to be gleaned from the origins of the Bene Gesserit. Like Herbert’s first novel, Prophecy tackles different power dynamics, mystical or purely political. A vast charade which holds water when a Mark Strong used against purpose is manipulated behind the scenes, both by his pet microwave and by his fortune tellers, and which really gains interest when a parallel is drawn with the journey of Valya Harkonnen.
Too bad they are apprehended at the same time with monolithic seriousness and sleight of hand worthy of Star Trek (the overuse of the Voice, the return to the ancestors). By imposing a tone, Warner and HBO take the risk of having none and therefore of losing the viewer in pretentious intrigues leading to nothing, except the promise of a season 2 even more reminiscent of the films.
The fundamental problem of this umpteenth spin-off series is ultimately the one that Warner has encountered since the 2010s. The major is still incapable of reconciling the desire to hire artists with strong artistic ambitions and the frenetic exploitation of their works. To get out of this, you will have to choose.
Season 1 of Dune: Prophecy is available in full on Max in France
