The Dune Universe continues to expand with Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two debuting in theaters in 2024, and now the upcoming Max spin-off, Dune: Prophecy. The series serves as a prequel to Villeneuve’s two-part science fiction feature films. It focuses on the origins of the matriarchal order known as the Bene Gesserit (members of which are disparagingly referred to as witches and sorceresses), who rule from the shadows. The Corrino Imperium, as Dune viewers will recall, is the supreme body in the Known Universe, led by the hereditary Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV.
The Imperium is a makeup of factions. Sandwiched between the Imperial Household and the Federated Great Houses of the Landsraad lies the Spacing Guild, which has a monopoly on interstellar travel. The immensely powerful Bene Gesserit Sisterhood smirks at this tripod organizational structure. It sees the Landsraad, the CHOAM Company, and the Great Houses as “bits of flotsam in the path of the flood.” Thus, it is understandable why the Dune prequel series at Max would call attention to the mysterious Bene Gesserit through these fantastic characters.
What Is Dune: Prophecy About?
The novel Sisterhood of Dune is the inspiration behind HBO’s Dune: Prophecy. Published in 2012, Sisterhood of Dune is the first novel in Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s The Schools of Dune trilogy, which itself is a sequel to the previous Legends of Dune novel trilogy.
As the name suggests, Sisterhood of Dune focuses on the formation of the Bene Gesserit, and takes the Dune lore back to 10,000 years before the coming of Paul Atreides.HBO says Dune: Prophecy will explore two Harkonnen sisters who fought forces that “threatened the future of humankind” and established Bene Gesserit in the aftermath of the pivotal Machine Crusade in the Dune universe.
While an exact release date has not been announced yet, Dune: Prophecy‘s cast and the character guide are laid out.
Actor | Character |
|---|---|
Emily Watson and Jessica Amy Barden | Valya Harkonnen (elder and younger years) |
Olivia Williams | Tula Harkonnen |
Sarah-Sofie Boussnina | Princess Ynez |
Mark Strong | Emperor Javicco Corrino |
Jodhi May | Empress Natalya |
Shalom Brune-Franklin | Mikaela |
Faoileann Cunningham | Sister Jen |
Chloe Lea | Sister Lila |
Travis Fimmel | Desmond Hart |
Jade Anouka | Sister Theodosia |
Emily Watson & Jessica Amy Barden As Valya Harkonnen (Elder & Younger)
British actor Emily Watson, who plays one of the Harkonnen sisters, Valya, graces the Dune: Prophecy teaser thumbnail on the HBO website. Watson previously played Jane Hawking’s mother, Beryl Wilde, in the feature film The Theory of Everything and starred in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. She has been cast as Mother Superior, Valya Harkonnen in Dune: Prophecy . Watson’s Valya is the principal focus of the show, as she is one of the two Harkonnen sisters behind the establishment of the proto-religious sect that later came to be known as the Bene Gesserit.
Jessica Amy Barden plays Valya Harkonnen in her younger years in a recurring guest star role (per Variety). Barden appeared in the black comedy series The End of the F—ing World, American Horror Stories Season 3, as well as ITV’s You & Me. She graces Dune: Prophecy Official Teaser 2 thumbnail as a younger Valya and is at the center stage of the opening action in the said teaser.
Olivia Williams As Tula Harkonnen
British actor Olivia Williams plays the second of the Harkonnen sisters, Tula. Williams has many British and American film credits to her name, such as 1999’s The Sixth Sense, 2009’s An Education, 2010’s The Ghost Writer, 2012’s Anna Karenina, and 2017’s Victoria & Abdul. She is particularly remembered for her portrayal of Camilla Parker Bowles in the last two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown.
Tula is spotted in the HBO teaser, as Watson’s Valya says, “I am trying to protect the Imperium.” She is one of the prominent members of the Sisterhood, members of which are known to exert mental and physical powers. HBO calls Tula a “Reverend Mother,” thus a higher-up in the Sisterhood.
Sarah-Sofie Boussnina As Princess Ynez
Danish actor Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, whose acting credits include the TV series The Bridge, plays Princess Ynez in Dune: Prophecy. Boussnina starred in the TV series 2017’s Knightfall, and the 2014 Danish film The Absent One. Her Dune: Prophecy character, Princess Ynez, is the the daughter of Javicco Corrino and Natalya. Because of her position, she is grappling with the huge responsibility of inheriting the Golden Lion Throne.
Mark Strong As Emperor Javicco Corrino
Renowned British actor Mark Strong is cast as Emperor Javicco Corrino. Strong has been a part of movies such as Zero Dark Thirty (2012), The Imitation Game (2014), Kick-Ass (2010), and Shazam! (2019), 1917 (2019), and Cruella (2021), among others. He’s also been a part of the television industry, starring as Terry ‘Tosker’ Cox and Harry Starks in BBC Two drama serials, Our Friends in the North (1996) and The Long Firm (2004), respectively.
Mark’s addition to Dune: Prophecy is exciting. He plays Princess Ynez’s father, Emperor Javicco Corrino. According to Variety’s description of the show, Javvico is:
…a man from a great line of war-time Emperors, who is called upon to govern the Imperium and manage a fragile peace.
Jodhi May As Empress Natalya
Jodhi May’s name is attached to movies such as The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and the BBC television film The Other Boleyn Girl (2003). She appeared in the BBC One drama The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006), the British period drama film, The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (2019), and the recurring cast of Netflix’s The Witcher. Interestingly, May also had a minor role as Maggy the Frog in Game of Thrones season 5, episode 1 “The Wars to Come.”
In Dune: Prophecy, May plays Empress Natalya, married to Emperor Javicco Corrino. According to the aforementioned Variety article, Empress Natalya’s marriage to Javicco “united thousands of worlds.” Per Deadline, May was recast after the previous actor, Indira Varma, left due to scheduling conflicts.
Shalom Brune-Franklin As Mikaela
British and Australian actor Shalom Brune-Franklin has had several acting roles, such as Private Maisie Richards in BBC’s Our Girl (2017-2018), Umm Khulthum in The State (2017), Ella in Love Me (2021) and Aoife in the Australian series Doctor Doctor. Brune-Franklin played Estella in 2023’s drama miniseries Great Expectations. Her most recent credit includes 2024’s British black comedy miniseries Baby Reindeer, in which she played Keeley.
Brune-Franklin plays the Fremen Mikaela in Dune: Prophecy. The Fremen, as Herbert’s readers and Villeneuve’s Dune viewers will recall, are the natives of the desert planet Arrakis. Mikaela’s loyalties lie with House Corrino and, of course, the Fremen. Deadline bills the character as:
…a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known.
Faoileann Cunningham As Sister Jen
Faoileann Cunningham is perhaps best known for playing Ryl in the 2022 Netflix TV miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin. The show serves as a prequel to the Netflix series, The Witcher. Cunningham portrayed Kormlöth in the historical action movie The Northman (2022) and is all set to mark her Dune: Prophecy debut, come November, in which she plays Sister Jen. Sister Jen’s loyalties lie with the Sisterhood. The Deadline article describes her as:
…a fierce, unpredictable acolyte in training at the Sisterhood School who rarely reveals her emotional core.
Chloe Lea As Sister Lila
Chloe Lea starred in Katy (2018), and appeared in Foundation (2021), and Great Expectations (2023). She plays Sister Lila in Dune: Prophecy. Lea’s Sister Lila is the youngest acolyte in the Sisterhood, and has “a deep empathy beyond her years” (per Deadline).
Travis Fimmel As Desmond Hart
Travis Fimmel, widely recognized for his portrayal of Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series Vikings, plays the mysterious soldier Desmond Hart in Dune: Prophecy. He is also known for his role as Anduin Lothar in 2016’s Warcraft. More of Fimmel’s credits include the sci-fi series Raised by Wolves (2020), the crime drama series Black Snow (2023), and the coming-of-age Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe (2024). In Dune: Prophecy, Desmond tries to please the Emperor and serves as a counterpoint to the Sisterhood.
Jade Anouka As Sister Theodosia
Jade Anouka is known for Steve McQueen’s British anthology drama series Small Axe (2020) and the miniseries Trauma (2018). More of her credits include Cleaning Up (2019) and His Dark Materials (2020). Anouka is also a stage actor and most recently played a recurring role in Beforeigners (2021).
Anouka plays Sister Theodosia in HBO’s Dune: Prophecy. An acolyte in the Sisterhood, Sister Theodosia hides a dangerous secret about her past.
The Dune prequel series will premiere on HBO and stream on Max in November.
