Long before Paul Atreides rose to incite a galaxy-changing rebellion, another group was trying to forge peace for humanity's future in the origins of the Bene Gesserit, the mysterious group of women with superhuman abilities who influence various regimes throughout the galaxy. The show primarily focuses on two sisters who would eventually become the founders of the sect and how their early experiences with war led to its creation.

At the forefront of Dune: Prophecy's story are Tula and Valya Harkonnen, the latter of whom is the leader of the early form of the Bene Gesserit known as the Sisterhood, while the former is a Reverend Mother. As the Imperium draws closer to all-out anarchy, Valya looks to insert the Sisterhood into the various royal houses of the galaxy, something Tula cautions against. Beyond internal strife, they find themselves contending with Desmond Hart, a soldier with a mysterious past and a unique ability to take down the Sisterhood who looks to gain the and trust of Emperor Javicco Corrino to eliminate them.

Emily Watson and Olivia Williams lead the ensemble Dune: Prophecy cast as Valya and Tula, alongside Travis Fimmel as Desmond, Mark Strong as Corrino, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Jessica Barden, Aoife Hinds, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka and Chris Mason. The show is developed by Diane Ademu-John and Altered Carbon's Alison Schapker, the latter of whom is also showrunning the large-scale prequel to Villeneuve's acclaimed sci-fi hits.

In honor of the show's at New York Comic Con, Screen Rant interviewed showrunner Alison Schapker, writer/executive producer Jordan Goldberg and stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Travis Fimmel to discuss Dune: Prophecy, how the former two went about expanding the universe and adapting Sisterhood of Dune, how it felt for the middle duo to finally act with each other after knowing each other for a long time, and the mysterious motivations of the latter's character.

Schapker Found It "Very Exciting" To Set The Show 10,000 Years Before The Movies

Goldberg Also Discusses How Close They Are Adapting Sisterhood Of Dune

Screen Rant: My God is Dune: Prophecy epic. It is absolutely amazing, every single episode makes me feel like I am watching a Dune film. Alison, first question for you is the show takes place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides. How do you thread the needle to keep it within the same world as the films while acknowledging the gap between technology and history?

Alison Schapker: Well, it's very exciting to be that far away, on the one hand, because it allows us some room to play, but at the same time, these are families that go on for 10,000 years, and feuds that go on for 10,000 years, and institutions that grow up. So, in some ways, we're looking at the young Imperium, and the films are much more advanced, but they do have echoes through time, and I think that's very Dune, to not be afraid of long plans.

Jordan, how much is the show based on Sisterhood of Dune, and would you say fans of the Great Schools of Dune trilogy will be able to find parallels easily, or does the show use that premise as more of a jumping off point and do its own thing?

Jordan Goldberg: We are a sort of close adaptation of the Sisterhood of Dune. I think the Sisterhood of Dune, and that trilogy, kind of tells that story that keeps going in the other two books. So, naturally, we kind of move out there in the other two books, as well, taking what we need from it to tell our story. We also get to tell a kind of new story that's not in the books, and that is about Valya Harkonnen's stewardship of the Sisters.

The Harkonnens Are Just As "Messed-Up" Of A Family As They Are In The Film

Watson & Williams Even Had A Unique Means Of Preparation For This

I want to talk about Valya. How does Valya's tumultuous family history influence her motivations and decisions throughout the series?

Emily Watson: I think that's one of the things that I found really delicious about getting my teeth into this, is that they are such a messed-up family. They've had this really traumatic childhood, and she's driven by a sense of being very aggrieved, a vengeance, but she channels it all into becoming part of the Sisterhood, and really trying to control the fate of humankind. I mean, that's her ambition.

That's a great jumping off point for you, Olivia, because I want to talk about the Sisterhood for a second.

Olivia Williams: Yeah, try having that as your big sister. [Laughs]

How does Tula Harkonnen's relationship with Valya shape the origins and future of the Bene Gesserit?

Olivia Williams: What I can say is as a preparation, Emily and I have known each other since we were in our twenties at the World Shakespeare Company, and she said, "We're going to be playing sisters. Let's go and look at portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots at the Royal National Portrait Gallery in London." So, you know what happened to those two sisters. [Chuckles]

Desmond Hart Is A Very Fickle Character

"...the last voice of the patriarchy."

Travis, Desmond Hart is the biggest wild card on the show. Who is Desmond loyal to, and can you talk about his connection with the Corrinas?

Travis Fimmel: I'm not sure who he's loyal to at the moment, but he's going to act like he's loyal to everybody, and try to gain everybody's trust. And that's what's so good about the writing. I think everybody's going to be trying to work out who he is and who he's going to take sides with.

Travis, a question for you is Desmond refers to this war that's in plain sight. What does Desmond see as the biggest threat to the empire?

Travis Fimmel: I think it's pretty well straight away that these ladies and their cult that they've established is, I think, going to be very detrimental. Yeah, I think that the girls are the baddies in my brain.

Olivia Williams: This is the last voice of the patriarchy. [Laughs]

Dune: Prophecy Will Explore "The Birth Of" The Bene Gesserit's Power

The Writing Team Also Had Creative Freedom To Stray From Villeneuve's Movies

Now Alison, the series spotlights the Harkonnen sisters, and the formation of the Bene Gesserit, can you discuss the dynamic between the Sisterhood of the houses of Dune compared to where they are here and where they are in the films?

Alison Schapker: I think when you see the Bene Gesserit in the films, first of all, you're really seeing their forward face of, they cultivate such a mystique, such a mystery. And they're out there being ruthless and decisive and powerful and trying to play every angle and manipulate every possible outcome. And they're very much in their power. And I think in our series you're watching, like I said, the birth of that, and maybe you're seeing behind the scenes what goes into making an organization like that.

I think Valya Harkonnen is going to take a young institution that's fragile, that is under attack in certain ways, and she's going to grow it and protect it and fight for it and ensure its survival. And how that happens, I think, is how we are different, but also speaks to the Bene Gesserit later, when it's in its full power.

Now, when this show was announced, my first thought was how are they going to do this weekly on the scale of what Denis created with the Dune series, but you guys nailed it. So, Jordan, how closely is your team working with Denis to ensure that any new — or, rather, old — elements you introduced to the canon will be connected to the Dune movies, as well as streamlined for Prophecy?

Jordan Goldberg: Well, Denis' got his own franchise that he's working on right now. He's been busy doing that in his own projects. He's really left to us to kind of figure out how to platform the new characters and the new worlds, which is what's exciting about the story that we're telling, because we are outside of Arrakis, so we get to visit new places. But he is aspirational in what he did there for us to kind of achieve that large-scale immersive experience. We had a tremendous cast and a tremendous crew, and we went all in and put it on the screen and it shows.

Olivia Williams: And, just as a note there, I've been doing this a long time, but it was the first time I walked on one set, which was actually the central atrium of the Benes, and I gasped. It was astonishing, you know, hats off to production design, it was just breathtaking. And this was not done with CGI. This was a building that they adapted, so yeah, it's breathtaking.

Williams & Watson Found Playing Their Characters To Be "A Bit Of A Gift"

"It's all about mental prowess..."

Emily, can you talk about stepping into the sci-fi realm and doing Prophecy compared to your previous work that was more grounded in reality, and how do you ground Valya Harkonnen as a character?

Emily Watson: What I love about playing this woman is that she has all these kind of superpowers, but they're all in her head. It's all about mental prowess, and being able to very, very, very clearly read people and manipulate people. And for an actor, all you need, really, is a camera. It's a bit of a gift, really. That's the true power that they have is a very, very deep molecular understanding of human nature that they can play with.

Now you mentioned this a second ago, Olivia, but can you discuss the significance of it being the first time you and Emily got to work together on screen? Because you two have circled each other for a while now.

Travis Fimmel: Avoided each other. [Chuckles]

Olivia Williams: In this case, no, there are some people, but no, not in this case. [Chuckles] I mean, it was absurd that we'd never worked together, and absolutely right that we should play sisters. But I first met Emily, there's a pub in Stratford-upon-Avon called The Black Swan, but is known to actors as the Dirty Duck. We first met sitting on the grass outside the Dirty Duck in Stratford-upon-Avon. And that element of our history, sharing that sitting on the grass and watching the sun go down with a pint of beer, is a very good branding for playing sisters, but also, as parallel actors, we are still grasping for jobs and attention in the meantime. And it's like, "How did she get Breaking the Waves?" [Laughs]

About Dune: Prophecy

From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, DUNE: PROPHECY follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. DUNE: PROPHECY is inspired by the novel SISTERHOOD OF DUNE, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

Stay tuned for our other Dune: Prophecy interview from NYCC with stars Jessica Barden, Josh Heuston, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina & Chloe Lea!

Dune: Prophecy premieres on Max on November 17.

Source: Screen Rant Plus