While waiting for Denis Villeneuve to return to the cinema with The Messiah of Dune — which could begin production, earlier than expected, as early as 2026 after Dune: Part Two —, the universe of Arakkis and the great houses develops in an original series, entitled Dune: Prophecy. Broadcast weekly on the Max platform, the HBO series takes place 10,000 years before the events of the films, and sets out to tell the origins of the Bene Gesserit, the formation of witches who plot in the shadows and who seek to create the ‘perfect being capable of freeing oneself from time and the human condition, the Kwisatz Haderach.
If the films of Denis Villeneuve adapt the first book Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert and soon its sequel, The Messiah of Dune (1969), the series is based on the novels written by the writer’s son, Brian Herbert (with Kevin J. Anderson), who largely contributed to developing the saga Dune after the death of his father, with numerous cycles and more than fifteen novels or collections of short stories.
What does it tell Dune: Prophecy ?
Dune: Propechy is thus based on the cycle Dune, the origins (Schools of Dune in original version) comprising three books and published between 2012 and 2016. The Community of Sisters, The Mentats of Dune et Dune Navigators thus allow us to witness the origins of primordial elements of the Dune universe, such as the formation of the Bene Gesserit, or the appearance of the Navigators of the Space Guild, capable of mastering the spice and of traveling in space (an element little developed in Denis Villeneuve’s films).
In The Community of Sisters (which serves as the main inspiration for the series), the universe is in full construction after the devastating war that took place between humans and machines. The hierarchical organization seen in the films is established with the emergence of the great houses and the establishment of an emperor at the top. The issues and intrigues arise from the fear or dread of the machine uprising, which almost cost the human race its existence.
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The Butlerian movement campaigns for the definitive destruction of everything related to machines of the past, while other groups attempt to acquire knowledge from machines and transfer it to humans. This is how, for example, Navigators are born, capable of seeing the safe routes to take within space. The community of sisters, governed by Reverend Mother Raquella, is experiencing internal upheavals. Some think that we should join the Butlerian movement, others believe, on the contrary, that machines can serve a greater purpose, aiming to modify genetics to create a perfect being. From this schism will be born the order of the Bene Gesserit.
Dune: Prophecy is thus based on the general plot of the book while developing its own issues and connecting to the universe created by Denis Villeneuve, to maintain visual and thematic authorship. The series thus follows the Harkonnens and the Atreides in games of power and conspiracies reminiscent of Game of Throneswhich could well be settled in the shadows and in schemes, laying the foundations for the destiny of Paul Atréides.
