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Everything you ever wondered about the Dune universe is about to come to fruition with the premiere of the HBO/MAX original series, DUNE: PROPHECY. Right from the opening frames we get a glimpse into something long fabled about in the history of the Dune universe. Something that is just as important as the outcome and goals we all who are fans of the DUNE books know for without it nothing would or could be set into place and the images I saw left me wanting so much more. Why couldn’t there be a series about this?
Well as important as it is, the events that happened before we see the early days of the Empire are more important because DUNE: PROPHECY is very much about how we adapt and change to cope with the situations that arise with this new world and the direction by which the future of humanity will evolve.
You will see an early version of “The Sisterhood” as it is simply referred to in the premiere episode and you will bare witness to worlds DUNE readers have wondered about, but never have seen in live action. In some ways it felt as though I was back in 2001 and about to see the first frames of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in that I always had wanted to see Middle Earth for the first time and now I was finally seeing it with my own eyes.
It is no surprise either especially since the richness of Frank Herbert’s universe has been compared to Tolkien’s Middle Earth in many ways by many different people, including noteworthy science fiction authors like Arthur C. Clarke and David
It is a great time not only to be a Dune fan, but also to be a fan of classic science fiction with the DUNE films released earlier this year and in 2021 and Apple TV+ bringing Isaac Asimov’s FOUNDATION to the small screen too. I think with DUNE: PROPHECY HBO and MAX have helped solidify the theatrical films as the definitive adaptations of Herbert’s masterpiece and I have high hopes for the series, which I will be covering each week during it’s first season run and hopefully many more to come.
There is still a lot to unpack and develop with regard to the character motivations and the potential plots within plots that are sure to develop so be patient. This noted DUNE: PROPHECY is accessible for casual viewers too and does not require anyone to have read the books or even see the movies to understand and become involved with the story as it unfolds.
DUNE: PROPHECY stars an ensemble cast that includes Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Edward Davis, Jihae, Tabu, Jessica Barden, and Emma Canning.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive producer. Jordan Goldberg, Mark Tobey, John Cameron, Matthew King, Scott Z. Burns, and Jon Spaihts executive produce with New York Times bestselling author Brian Herbert, along with Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert as executive producers for the Frank Herbert estate. Diane Ademu-John co-developed the series and serves as executive producer. Anna Foerster executive produced and directed multiple episodes including the first. New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson serves as co-producer. The series is co-produced by HBO and Legendary Television with Legendary also producing the film franchise that has released two installments to critical acclaim, the first of which garnered six Academy Awards®.
“Victory is celebrated in the light, but is won in the darkness.”
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