‘Dune: Prophecy’ Is a Beacon for Sisterhood On and Off-Screen

Just months after Dune: Part Two came out, Dune: Prophecy premiered November 17 on Max, taking the audience back 10,000 years before Timotheé Chalamet’s Paul Atreides lived. Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters, Valya and Tula, as they create the sisterhood that will become the Bene Gesserit. 

This is unlike other recent examples of remakes and prequels/sequels, like the live-action Snow White (2025), Moana 2 (2024), Mean Girls (2024), Freakier Friday (2025), and Haunted Mansion (2023); the six-episode series continues to expand the universe created by Frank Herbert. Dune: Prophecy itself is based on Sisterhood of Dune (2012), by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert, the oldest son of Frank Herbert. It will serve as a prequel to the Denis Villeneuve movies, not just as a reboot. As we’re seeing an influx of rebooted films, it’s refreshing to see universes expanding in ways that offer audiences new context and perspectives on beloved stories.

Just N Life spoke to Alison Schapker, Dune: Prophecy‘s Showrunner and Executive Producer at the series premiere in New York City. When asked how it felt to make a separate adaptation of the Dune universe after previous adaptations, she says it was, “Daunting…Dune is so meaningful, it’s been so influential, it has so many fans who love it and you wouldn’t want to do it if you didn’t think you could do it well. And yet, there’s so much world-building and so many choices that have to be made.” She advises that, “You need fear to have the challenge and the excitement, so we kinda decided we would just go for it!”

Jordan Goldberg, Writer and Executive Producer of Dune: Prophecy shared a similar sentiment when taking on writing the script for this Dune universe adaptation. “Our show is kind of an origin tale,” he says. “We get to dive into the beginnings of the Bene Gesserit which is called the sisterhood in our show… It’s kind of fun to rip back the veil and see what’s behind it.”

This show also differs from any other Dune adaptation with Valya Harkonnen at the center. “It’s a Harkonnen at the middle of this whole thing so it’s fun to tell her story,” Goldberg continues. “You get a little insight about how the Harkonnens came to be and the nature of the feud between them and the Atreides.”

Jodhi May, who plays Empress Natalya, maintains that Dune: Prophecy is a fresh approach to the Dune universe. “Obviously, it’s set 10,000 years before the Dune that we know and love so well,” she says. “And I think what’s really fresh about it is that it’s really seen through the eyes of so many strong female characters. So, I think we counted in the first episode, there’s only something like two or three scenes where there are only men talking to each other on screen and I think that’s quite a landmark in a sci-fi drama series like this.”

With a cast of mainly women, Prophecy follows the beginnings of the Bene Gesserit. Starring Emily Watson as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen, the entire cast and crew felt impacted by this community of strong women. The series plays with time, following Valya and her peers as she rises to power, then following a new group of younger women as they are trained by Valya. The women in this exclusive sisterhood undergo rigorous mental and physical training in order to obtain superhuman abilities. As is said in episode one, the sisterhood is “made up of women, unafraid of their power.”

What happens on screen parallels with how the cast bonded behind the scenes. Aoife Hinds found bonding with the cast, “very easy.” She says, “Literally, we met and like that, we were like sisters. Honestly, they’re so important in my life now.” Hinds adds, “[Dune: Prophecy] is about the capabilities of women. These women are going through these mental strenuous exercises, physical training to control their bodies on a molecular level. In my head, that’s just an extension of what we do as women, our mental strength and what are bodies are capable of, and we lean into that.” The feminine passion felt on screen is palpable within all of these women.

Jessica Barden, who plays young Valya, felt firsthand the effects of the unity on the female-led cast. As the younger counterpart to Watson, not only did Barden bond with her before filming, but had the honor of being compared to Watson’s likeness. On bonding with Watson, Barden says, “[it was] obviously like the best. I think all of us probably grew up, you know, you want to be like her, and then somebody’s like you kind of are like her… It was maybe intimidating like waiting for the FaceTime to connect just being like ‘What is this gonna be like?’ because you never know… but it was so relaxed and very British and we want to support each other… Everybody here will say she was so supportive as a lead, all of those guys were, Olivia [Williams] and Mark [Strong].” With a supportive cast and a strong feeling of sisterhood, it seems like the process of filming was as enjoyable as the actual product.

Given the fact that this series follows the Harkonnens, a family that was previously condemned as evil in past films, Dune: Prophecy acts as a redemption arc for the family. As Edward Davis, Harrow Harkonnen, says, “They’re just families and this show is all about family, I think.”

Unlike in the previous two movies, the context given allows the Harkonnens to stand out. Just N Life asked the cast and crew whether they were Team Harkonnen or Team Atreides and well… you’ll just have to find out by watching the show!

Pierre Gill, Director of Photography for Dune: Prophecy advises people to watch this show on, “a big, big television. … It’s really cinematic… Every aspect of it is very rich, the soundtrack, the VFX, and it’s gorgeous.”

As the series continues, you can expect to learn more about the Harkonnens and the creation of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. If you’re already a fan of the Dune universe, whether through the books or many film adaptations, Dune: Prophecy adds a new approach to the franchise. The growing Dune world is promising for sci-fi fans, even 60 years after the first book’s publication.

Episode 1 of Dune: Prophecy is streaming now on Max. See photos from the series’ New York premiere in the gallery above.