The Dune: Prophecy cast and crew are already planning future seasons

Next month, HBO and Max will debut Dune: Prophecy, a TV series spun off from the Dune movies starring Timothée Chalamet. But neither Chalamet nor his character Paul Atreides are anywhere near Dune: Prophecy, which is set 10,000 years in the past. Humanity has barely won a war against thinking machines and is trying to rebuild. Sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams respectively) are part of the nascent Bene Gesserit sisterhood, which they are trying to use to steer humanity in the right direction.

I won't spoil anything, but I've been lucky enough to see some of the episodes in advance and it's definitely a good watch: moody, interesting and compelling. Or as Emily Watson put it while speaking to Collider, it's a "really tasty, delicious, complicated mess of a dish to get your teeth into."

Vikings veteran Travis Fimmel, who plays the mysterious soldier Desmond Hart, said he appreciated how complex the show is: "Every character's got flaws, every character's very driven, and driven to get what they think they deserve. Everybody thinks they're right when often everybody thinks they're wrong. So, I think it's very complex, and it's a real watcher for the audience. It makes you think. Obviously, the visuals are stunning and beautiful, but it's a story that I really fell in love with."

I think this show has a decent chance of catching on, which raises the question of whether it could continue beyond this first season, which will only last for six episodes. Is that all we're getting, or are we going on a multi-year journey into the world of Dune? "We do have a plan, and they've been eager to hear all of it," hinted showrunner Alison Schapker.

"We’ve got plans within plans in every way, measured in centuries. No, I mean, we do. It will come as no news that our show centers around the Bene Gesserit, but when they're called the Sisterhood, so we're in this sort of incipient organization, and then how do they become the Bene Gesserit? That is a multi-season journey to be on, and that is very much the story we wanna tell."

Executive producer Jordan Goldberg weighed in as well: "Their moves are generational. They are in the long game, so there's plenty of story to tell." And Olivia Williams had perhaps the best news of all: "They also say they haven't destroyed the set in Hungary, so that's always a good sign." Why keep a set standing if you didn't intend to use it again?

I know it's early to be talking about future seasons of the show, but my impressions from watching the first several episodes is that it could be a satisfying series in the long term, in addition to being a solid watch this go-round. I agree with what Schapker says about this first batch of episodes: "I think they're really robust and full episodes, and each one really changes things, so I don't think any episode is filler. The world is different after every episode."

Of course, it'll be up to the people to decide if the show is good enough to warrant another season. Dune: Prophecy premieres on Sunday, November 17, a week after the conclusion of The Penguin. That show has also been getting great marks. If HBO can continue that trend with Dune: Prophecy, it can end the year very strong.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.