“Dune: Prophecy” scheduled for 2024: here’s what we know about the prequel series to Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi saga

For a few weeks now, science fiction fans have been able to look forward to the arrival of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” in international cinemas, where the film is not only holding its own financially, but also delighting critics and critics. fans. While Denis Villeneuve is already working on the script for a third part of the saga entitled “Dune 3: Messiah” and waiting for the official green light for the project from Warner Bros., fans can already look forward to a new expansion of the “Dune” universe, which will reach us long before a possible “Dune 3”.

Because the “Dune: Prophecy” prequel series, which was canceled in 2019, finally completed principal photography in late 2023 after some production issues. According to recent reports The series is now scheduled to air in the US on MAX in late 2024. The content goes back approximately 10,000 years into the past of the “Dune” world, known from Villeneuve’s films, and to the beginning of the powerful sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit.

After starting problems on the straight home

The series was originally conceived as “Dune: The Sisterhood” and screenwriter Jon Spaiths, who co-wrote the screenplays for “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” with Denis Villeneuve, would serve as showrunner. Villeneuve himself would direct a number of episodes, including the pilot episode. But both Spaiths and Villeneuve had to withdraw from the project after a short time.

Denis Villeneuve explained to us in the FILMSTARTS interview that he made this decision due to lack of time to fully concentrate on his second “Dune” film. Even as an executive producer, he no longer wanted to put his name on the series because he could not work creatively. But now he is looking forward to the result: “It will be very interesting for me to see what someone else has done with this universe.”

Production on the series finally began in November 2022 under the creative supervision of Diane Ademu-John (“Empire”) in Budapest, but had to be paused again in February 2023 when director Johan Renck (“Chernobyl”) was hired to replace Villeneuve. ) had to withdraw from the project again. Ademu-John eventually joined the director due to creative differences Alison Schapker (“Lost,” “Fringe”) took over as showrunner and German director Anne Bosster (“Outlander,” “Westworld”) was hired in July to direct several episodes, including the pilot.

This is the cast of “Dune: Prophecy”

The cast list has also had to undergo some changes since the announcement in 2019. While Shirley Henderson and Indira Varma, among others, had to leave the science fiction series, will now include Emily Watson (“Chernobyl”) as Valya Harkonnen, Olivia Williams (“The Crown”) as Tula HarkonnenJohdi May (“The Witcher”) as Empress Natalya, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (“Tides”) as Princess Ynez, Shalom Brune-Franklin (“Roadkill”) as Mikaela, Faoileann Cunningham (“The Northman”) as Sister Jen, Aoife Hinds (“Normal People”) as Sister Emeline, Travis Fimmel (“Vikings”) as Desmond Hart, Mark Strong (“Kingsman”) as Emperor Javicco Corrino and Chris Mason (“Broadchurch”) as Keiran Atreides in “Dune: Prophecy . ” ” To Be Visible.

The characters include many names familiar from the novel “The Throne of the Desert Planet” by Kevin J. Anderson and Frank Herbert’s son Brian Herbert, which will also serve as the basis for the science fiction series.. However, the series will also introduce some completely new characters, deviating from Anderson and Herbert’s novel and expanding on the original.

That’s what “Dune: Prophecy” is about

Set approximately 10,000 years before the events surrounding Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Valya and Tula Harkonnen – ancestors of both Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and Paul himself – are the focus of the story. To confront dark forces that threaten the future of all humanity, they founded the Sisterhood of the Bene Gesseritwhose actions and political influence are said to have far-reaching consequences for the entire universe – as we have already impressively seen in ‘Dune’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’.

While “Dune: Prophecy” will be released in the US on MAX, it’s still unclear where we’ll see the series in Germany. However, given that most HBO and MAX productions in this country end up streaming on Sky or WOW or RTL+, one of these two options is the most likely.