Dune: Prophecy is HBO's highly anticipated Dune prequel series. It's inspired by Denis Villeneuve's two recent movie adaptations of Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel, and Sisterhood of Dune, the expanded-universe novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
A new trailer just dropped at New York Comic Con on Thursday and it looks to be the next must-see program to air on the prestige cable network. The prequel arrives on HBO and Max on Nov. 17.
Dune: Prophecy takes place 10,000 years before the events of Herbert's 1965 novel and follows sisters Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams), the founders of an all-female religious group called the Bene Gesserit. The purpose of the sect is to fight the threats that may face their world and its future.
While it may help you to have watched the two Dune movies, it's probably unnecessary as this story steps away from the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Atreides became an unlikely hero in the movies, leading to the uprising on the desert planet Arrakis, which dismantled House Harkonnen.
The matriarchal Bene Gesserit pulls the strings that eventually lead to Paul's rise to power. And while the Harkonnen family may be known as the ones who control the spice in Dune, they're struggling to regain their footing in this series after finding themselves on the losing side of a recent galactic war.
Watson and Williams lead the six-episode series, which premieres next month on HBO. The ensemble cast includes Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Jodhi May, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Aoife Hinds, Chris Mason, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jihae and Tabu.