HBO has just dropped the second teaser trailer for Dune: Prophecy (via SFFGazette.com), the upcoming small screen prequel which we believe is meant to be a standalone story unconnected to Denis Villeneuve's movies.
It's also been confirmed today that the show will premiere this November, so we're now just waiting for an exact date.
While not quite as visually stunning as those big screen adaptations, the show does have the same look and feel even if it's hard to shake the feeling it might end up being "Dune on a budget." Still, we're intrigued by what we see here and, for fans of Frank Herbert and the Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, this story being told on screen is long-overdue.
Dune: Prophecy - which will now air on HBO rather than being a Max-exclusive - has had a rocky road to our screens with a title change, recastings, and shakeups behind the scenes.
Johan Renck (Spaceman) was working on it for a time and revealed back in March that it isn't intended to be part of Villeneuve's Dune trilogy.
"For me, it was like, 'Yeah, okay, if they’re doing a TV series, that would be interesting to see' because what they said earlier on was like, 'This doesn’t have to have anything to do with the movies, the [Denis] Villeneuve movies, this is its own animal, and we can do whatever we want with it,' so that’s where it started."
"But as you said, there was a lot of stuff that was going on, but no one can be held responsible, or showrunners that got exchanged, and the original idea of the story completely changed course also because it used to be called, 'Dune: Sisterhood,' and then it changed names and became a completely different thing," the Swedish filmmaker concluded.
You can watch the new trailer for Dune: Prophecy in the players below.
From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
The series is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
The cast of Dune: Prophecy includes Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae, Tabu, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Emma Canning, and Yerin Ha.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive producer. Diane Ademu-John co-developed the series and serves as executive producer. Anna Foerster executive produced and directed multiple episodes, including the first.
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. New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson serves as co-producer.
The series is co-produced by Max 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.
As noted, Dune: Prophecy premieres on HBO and Max this November.