See Olivia Williams as Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen in new image from Dune: Prophecy
By Dan Selcke
In November, HBO will air Dune: Prophecy, a six-episode series set in the world of Frank Herbert's Dune. Dune: Part Two was one of the biggest box office hits of 2024, and HBO wants to strike while the iron is hot.
Dune: Prophecy is set thousands of years before the birth of Paul Atreides. There are a ton of Dune books out there, but this show seems to be roughly based on a trilogy of books written by Frank Herbert's son Brian and sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson: 2012's Sisterhood of Dune, 2014's Mentats of Dune, and 2016's Navigators of Dune. Those books include characters named Tula and Valya Harkonnen, sisters who are part of the Bene Gesserit order, then in its infancy. They will be played by Olivia Williams and Emily Watson respectively.
Williams has been very prolific over the years, appearing in everything from The Sixth Sense to The Crown. Watson is similarly decorated, having appeared in movies like Breaking the Waves and Gosford Park, and getting nominated for an Emmy for her work in HBO's Chernobyl. The show will also include actors like Mark Strong, Sarah Lam, Camilla Beeput, and Travis Fimmel. HBO doesn't skimp when it comes to talent.
The new recently released our first official still of Olivia Williams as Tula Harkonnen, which you can see above. We already have a pic of Watson as Valya Harkonnen:
While HBO works on this series, director Denis Villeneuve is readying another Dune movie to be based on Frank Herbert's book Dune Messiah; this one will once again star Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. Will audiences enjoy a show that has nothing to do with the Dune story we know? We'll find out sometime in November; HBO hasn't revealed an exact release date yet, although we do know that Dune: Prophecy will have six episodes.
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