Timothée Chalamet + a sandworm + bizarre Austin Butler helped to ensure that Denis Villeneuve’s Dune success was not limited to pandemic streaming. Dune: Part Two raked in over $700 million globally and guaranteed that a third film would be forthcoming. First, however, an HBO series will fill in some blanks by going back to where it all began but also leaping forward in time. That sounds complicated, so let’s attempt to simplify the issue.
When Does Dune: Prophecy Take Place In The Sandworm Timeline?
This series will take place in two primary timelines (one of them being around 10,000 years before the blockbuster movies) and will launch long before Paul Atreides surfaced on Arrakis and when a sisterhood, Bene Gesserit, will show the audience a side of Frank Herbert’s epic brainchild that hasn’t surfaced in the movies. At that time, war had essentially obliterated technology and worldbuilding is afoot.
For source material inspiration, Dune: Prophecy follows the Sisterhood of Dune novel by Brian Herbert (son of Frank) and Kevin J. Anderson, who wrote of two Harkonnen sisters, Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams), who established the fabled sect to save mankind and make it possible for Duncan Idaho to exist. However, the story will leap forward in time, as described by showrunner Alison Schapker while speaking with Collider:
“I really believe that we found the best of both worlds when it comes to adaptation. Sisterhood of Dune was our seminal text that we were working with and drawing inspiration from. Our story is tethered to the events in that book, but we also are telling a story that takes place 30 years after the events of the book. So we have both the book to draw from, but we also have room to develop our characters and tell the story of Valya Harkonnen across multiple timelines.”
In addition to Watson and Williams, Dune: Prophecy will also star Mark Strong, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin within an even larger ensemble cast.
The series premieres Sunday, Nov. 17 on HBO and will stream on Max.
