EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsDune: ProphecyShowrunner of Dune prequel series confirms you don’t need to have seen the movies to watch: “This can be a point of entry"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsDune: ProphecyShowrunner of Dune prequel series confirms you don’t need to have seen the movies to watch: “This can be a point of entry"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: HBO)
Dune: Prophecy showrunner Alison Schapkersays you don’t need to have seen Denis Villeneuve’s films to enjoy the upcoming prequel series. She’s confident, even, that you could go into the new TV show completely cold, with it acting as a good “point of entry” to the sci-fi franchise.
“You don’t need to have read the books, and you don’t even need to see Denis’s films, or David Lynch’s Dune, or other Dune television series,” she tellsSFX magazinein the new issue, which features Wicked on the cover and hits newsstands on November 1. “This can be a point of entry if that’s how you’re approaching Dune. If you’re a Dune super-fan, I also think it’s really fun to come to this with all the knowledge.”
Schapker is a self-confessed ‘Dune super-fan’, having read Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel in the attic of her family home as a child. “Very few books have that sort of Proustian memory rush,” she says. “I really feel like it was a mind-blowing book to read, so I have these sense memories of reading it that stand out in the way that not all sci-fi books do.”
(Image credit: HBO)
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“It does feel a bit like my career has kind of led up to this,” Schapker continues. “Going back to Alias, I always enjoyed delving into worlds and universes. I think genre and science fiction are some of the most exciting, imaginative spaces to be in as a fan and also as a writer. So when I heard that Dune: Prophecy was happening and that I could be a part of it, I didn’t ask any other questions. Really, at that point, it was just an undeniable opportunity for me.”
Set 10,000 years before Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides was dubbed the Lisan al-Gaib inDuneandDune: Part Two, the show “follows sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they combat forces that threaten the future of humanity, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.” Emily Watson and Olivia Williams take on the lead roles, with Jodhi May, Travis Fimmel, Josh Heuston, Mark Strong and Bollywood star Tabu make up some of the supporting cast.
While you don’t need to do any homework prior to hitting play, star Jessica Barden did tease that the spin-off will delve into the dastardly beginnings of the Harkonnens, who go on to threaten Paul, House Atreides, and the Fremen of Arrakis in the big screen flicks.
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“I think it’s gonna blow the audience away learning so much about that family and that history,” she says.
Dune: Prophecy releases on November 17 in the US, and the following day in the UK. Read more inthe latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Wicked on the cover and will be available from Friday, November 1.
For even more from SFX, sign up to ournewsletter, which delivers all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox. Check out the covers below…
Fellow Ozians! Let us rejoicify at the announcement of our exclusive #WickedMovie issue, on sale from 1 November with two thrillifying covers to collect! pic.twitter.com/z8ywneNWdbOctober 28, 2024
Fellow Ozians! Let us rejoicify at the announcement of our exclusive #WickedMovie issue, on sale from 1 November with two thrillifying covers to collect! pic.twitter.com/z8ywneNWdbOctober 28, 2024
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”