As of this writing, the third film in director Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” series has yet to receive an official greenlight. (The project technically remains in development.) Nonetheless, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and producer Legendary Television have already begun the work of converting the movies’ billion-plus dollars in combined box office into a multimedia franchise; in fact, a TV spinoff was already in the works before “Dune: Part One” was even in theaters. This week, prequel series “Dune: Prophecy” finally arrives on HBO, following “The Penguin” in turning HBO — once the most rarefied of prestige outlets — into a reliable purveyor of blockbuster IP. Tasked with making more material with less money and time, “Prophecy” cannot hope to equal Villeneuve’s aesthetic accomplishments. But at its best, the show does justice to the intricate politics and ethical debates that form a cornerstone of Frank Herbert’s fictional universe.
Set over 10,000 years before the birth of messianic figure Paul Atreides, “Prophecy” centers the early history of the Bene Gesserit, the shadowy sorority whose practice of eugenics would eventually produce Paul. Working loosely from “Sisterhood of Dune,” a 2012 novel co-written by Herbert’s son Brian, “Prophecy” takes place only a couple generations after the Butlerian Jihad, a massive war that ended the use of so-called “thinking machines” — though, like Villeneuve, “Prophecy” avoids the Herberts’ specific terminology in favor of the more generic “war.” Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson as an adult, Jessica Barden as a teenager) is the order’s second-ever Reverend Mother, and her efforts to secure its future contain the same lessons in the arrogance of social engineering as Paul’s eventual rise.
Just like adapting a novel for the screen, translating a franchise from film to TV comes with an inevitable set of tradeoffs. (For case studies, there’s both Marvel, which diluted its brand in part by ramping up its output, and Star Wars, which has effectively switched formats in the half-decade since its last major theatrical release.) In the four episodes provided to critics out of its six-episode season, “Prophecy” navigates these inherent ups and downs capably. The show, run by Alison Schapker and co-developed by Schapker with Diane Ademu-John, palpably lacks the magic touch of cinematographer Greig Fraser and the star power of Timothée Chalamet. But “Prophecy” also exerts an advantage on the fronts television is already suited to, like bringing the many political factions of the sprawling Imperium to life. The interplanetary entity may not be as stunning as in Villeneuve’s rendition, but we get to see more of it, and meet more of its inhabitants.
Flanked by her sister, Tula (Olivia Williams in the present, Emma Canning in the past), the domineering Valya leads a Bene Gesserit that’s still ascendant, but already resembles the group as it exists millennia in the future. The black robes, the distinctive sign language, and art of “truthsaying” — basically, human lie detection — are all in place; Valya herself is credited with inventing the Voice, which compels listeners to do as the speaker says. Valya’s predecessor, founder Mother Raquella (Cathy Tyson), praises her followers who “push the boundaries of what it means to be human.” For new fans drawn in by the movies, “Prophecy” emphasizes an aspect of “Dune” lore that could get lost in the spectacle: in excising computers, this society has oriented itself around enhancing one’s natural abilities. The Bene Gesserit may look like space witches, but what they do isn’t magic, it’s just superhuman self-control.
Though the added context is compelling, “Prophecy” isn’t all exposition. Valya’s sisterhood faces a sudden, existential threat from Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a soldier once stationed on the spice-harvesting planet that gives “Dune” its name. Possessing strange powers he says come from surviving an encounter with one of the world’s mythic sandworms, Hart is rabidly and mysteriously dead-set against the Bene Gesserit. By insinuating himself into the court of the Emperor (Mark Strong), Hart quickly becomes a formidable adversary, neutralizing the influence Valya had cultivated by grooming the Emperor’s daughter Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) to join her order. Though Hart’s motivations remain obscure, the rivalry gives the season its shape.
The primary “Dune” plot finds many echoes throughout “Prophecy.” Like Paul ingesting the Water of Life, some acolytes at the Bene Gesserit’s training academy undergo The Agony, a rite in which a sister drinks poison to unlock her ancestral memory. The Harkonnens already hold a grudge against the Atreides, even if “Prophecy” flips perspective by aligning with the former family. And while it’s disorienting to see so little of the actual Dune in a “Dune” series, several characters have the telltale blue eyes of indigenous Fremen and chronic spice users.
“Prophecy” nonetheless has its own feel. By focusing on the Bene Gesserit, the show can depict factions and dissent within its ranks, like the rival (Camilla Beeput) who opposes Valya’s use of strategic breeding to produce a chosen one. And while the sisters aren’t witches, the teenage acolytes make their headquarters not unlike a single-sex Hogwarts. The cast of “Prophecy” is sprawling and not equally well served; a subplot about a generic-seeming rebellion against the Emperor is vague and extraneous, and despite some lengthy sex scenes, the would-be romances lack spark. The show is nonetheless a broad enough canvas to explore widely and develop competing points of view — and hand a platform to decorated pros like Watson and Williams, who give their all to each imperious, veil-piercing stare.
“Dune” has long had a reputation as a nigh-impenetrable epic for the most hardcore of genre enthusiasts. Villeneuve miraculously succeeded where even a legend like David Lynch previously failed, turning the story into a mass phenomenon with eternally resonant themes like colonialism, environmentalism and religious zealotry. “Prophecy” is well-positioned to work as a bridge for those intrigued by the tentpoles, but not committed enough to delve deep into the Herberts’ archive. Though no feast for the senses, it could be fuel for a rekindled audience’s growing interest.
The first episode of “Dune: Prophecy” will premiere on HBO and Max at 9 p.m. ET on Nov. 17, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Sundays.
