Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Messiah may be some way off yet (December 2026 if reports are to be believed), but we don't have that long to wait before we return to the universe of spice and space politicking Frank Herbert built. Dune: Prophecy, showrunner Alison Schapker's Bene Gesserit based prequel to Villeneuve's Dune set 10,000 years before Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides' time, is headed our way later this year. The new release window confirmation came along with a tantalising new teaser for the Emily Watson and Mark Strong starring sci-fi prequel series. Check it out:
The mysteries of the Bene Gesserit aren't a problem to be solved, but a reality to experience — and if this new trailer's anything to go by, it's some reality! With its veiled sorceress sisters, flashes of Fremen-blue eyes, Mark Strong's embattled Imperium head Emperor Javicco Corrino, and glimpses of the Bene Gesserit using their all-powerful Voice, this teaser of what's to come — satisfyingly aesthetically of a piece with Villeneuve's movies — makes the most of its minute length. As we previously learned, Dune: Prophecy will unveil the origins of the witchy sisterhood whilst delving into another politically fraught chapter in the Duniverse (that works right?). And at the heart of it all lies Bene Gesserit founder Valya Harkonnen (Watson), whose assertion in the new trailer that her efforts are made to protect the Imperium are directly challenged by the steely glare she adopts whilst ominously stating that "sacrifices must be made." Yikes!
Here's the show's official logline: “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.”
Among the ensemble for Dune: Prophecy — which is based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Sisterhood Of Dune — are Olivia Williams, Camilla Beeput, Sarah Lam, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Jade Anouka, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina and Chris Mason. We'll find out whether Dune: Prophecy is set to Spice up our lives or if it's a load of Shai-Hulud when it arrives on Sky and Now TV later this year.