Prophecy” Greenlit for Second Season by HBO

The Dune Universe continues to build. The prequel series directly connected to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies, Dune: Prophecy, officially earned a second season from HBO. This comes after just five episodes, days before the opening chapter of the prequel series is set to close.

Dune: Prophecy amassed over two million viewers within 24 hours of the first episode’s debut, and would go on to total around 15 million viewers, three million shy of The Penguin’s premiere audience. The familiar medieval, futuristic style of the Dune movies, alongside an engaging further exploration of many key groups from the films, has kept Dune fans engaged in the ever-growing universe.

Dune: Prophecy and the Bene Gesserit

Dune: Prophecy is set 10,000 years before the events of Paul Atreides on Arrakkis and focuses mainly on the early years of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful group of women controlling the houses from the shadows. Our two protagonists are Vayla and Tula Harkonnen, played by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams, two of the founding members of the Bene Gesserit. The show, much like the latest films, is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune written by the son of Frank Herbert. It is important to note that executive producer Alison Schapker aimed for a looser interpretation of the source material.

In House Corrino, viewers are welcomed into a different ruling power than in the Dune films. Emperor Javicco Corrino, played by the legendary Mark Strong, leads the prequel series, which features many of the big-time houses from Villeneuve’s Dune movies. Outside of the Harkonnens, the audience is introduced to the oldest known member of House Atreidies, Keiran Atreides, played by Chris Mason.

The main antagonist of the initial season lies in the mysterious Desmond Hart, portrayed by Travis Fimmel. Hart directly opposes the two lead sisters, utilizing a form of power many fans of the movies would recognize as an early form of “Voice,” a powerful manipulation of speech that forces the listener to obey any commands by the user that viewers know from the films is a specialty of the Bene Gesserit.

Season one of Dune: Prophecy is set to end this Sunday, aiming to bring a climactic finish to the opening of the series with the Bene Gesserit scrapping for control over the political landscape. There is no timetable for season two yet, or where the show will even stand after season one concludes.