HBO Prequel Tailors Franchise for TV

As of this writing, the third film in director Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” series has yet to receive an official green light. (The project technically remains in development.) Nevertheless, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and producer Legendary Television have already begun work on converting the film’s billion-dollar-plus combined box office into a multimedia franchise; in fact, a TV spinoff was already in the works before “Dune: Part One” was even in theaters. This week, the prequel series “Dune: Prophecy” finally arrives on HBO, following “The Penguin” to make HBO – once the rarest of prestige businesses – a reliable purveyor of blockbuster IP. Tasked with making more material with less money and time, “Prophecy” can’t hope to match Villeneuve’s aesthetic achievements. But at its best, the series does justice to the intricate politics and ethical debates that form a cornerstone of Frank Herbert’s fictional universe.

Set over 10,000 years before the birth of the messianic figure Paul Atreides, “Prophecy” centers on the early history of the Bene Gesserit, the shadowy sorority whose practice of eugenics would ultimately produce Paul. Working loosely from “Sisterhood of Dune,” a 2012 novel co-written by Herbert’s son Brian, “Prophecy” takes place just a few generations after the Butler jihad, a massive war that ended the use of so-called “thinking machines” — though, like Villeneuve, “Prophecy” eschews Herbert’s specific terminology in favor of the more generic “war.” Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson as an adult, Jessica Barden as a teenager) is the order’s other venerable mother, and her efforts to secure its future contain the same lessons in the arrogance of social engineering as Paul’s eventual rise.

Like adapting a novel to the screen, translating a franchise from film to television comes with an inevitable set of trade-offs. (For case studies, there are both Marvel, which diluted its brand in part by ramping up its output, and Star Wars, which has effectively changed format in the half decade since its last major theatrical release.) In the four episodes given to critics. out of its six-episode season, “Prophecy” navigates these inherent ups and downs deftly. The show, run by Alison Schapker and co-developed by Schapker with Diane Ademu-John, palpably lacks the magic touch of cinematographer Greig Fraser and the star power of Timothée Chalamet. But “Prophecy” also exerts an advantage on fronts that television is already suited to, like bringing to life the many political factions of the sprawling Imperium. The interplanetary entity may not be as fantastic as in Villeneuve’s rendering, but we get to see more of it and meet more of its inhabitants.

Flanked by her sister, Tula (Olivia Williams in the present, Emma Canning in the past), the domineering Valya leads a Bene Gesserit that is still ascending but already resembles the group as it exists millennia in the future. The black robes, the distinctive sign language and the art of “truth-telling” – basically human lie detection – are all in place; Valya himself is credited with inventing the voice, which compels listeners to do as the speaker says. Valya’s predecessor, founder Mother Raquella (Cathy Tyson), praises her followers who “push the boundaries of what it means to be human.” For new fans drawn to the movies, “Prophecy” underscores an aspect of “Dune” lore that could be lost in the play: In existing computers, this society has revolved around enhancing one’s natural abilities. The Bene Gesserit may look like space witches, but what they do isn’t magic, it’s just superhuman self-control.

While the added context is compelling, “Prophecy” is not just exposition. Valya’s sisterhood faces a sudden, existential threat from Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a soldier once stationed on the spice-harvesting planet that gives “Dune” its name. With strange powers that he says come from surviving an encounter with one of the world’s mythical sandworms, Hart is rabid and mysteriously dead against the Bene Gesserit. Insinuating himself into the Emperor’s (Mark Strong) court, Hart quickly becomes a formidable opponent, neutralizing the influence Valya had cultivated by grooming the Emperor’s daughter Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) to join her order. Although Hart’s motivations remain unclear, the rivalry gives the season its shape.

The primary “Dune” plot finds many echoes throughout “Prophecy.” Just as Paul drinks the Water of Life, some acolytes at the Bene Gesserit training academy undergo The Agony, a rite in which a sister drinks poison to unlock the memory of her ancestors. The Harkonnens already hold a grudge against the Atreides, though “Prophecy” reverses the perspective by aligning itself with the former family. And while it’s disorienting to see so little of the actual Dune in a “Dune” series, several characters have the telltale blue eyes of native Fremen and chronic spice users.

“Prophecy” nevertheless has its own feeling. By focusing on the Bene Gesserit, the show can depict factions and dissent within its ranks, like the rival (Camilla Beeput) who opposes Valya’s use of strategic breeding to produce a Chosen One. And while the sisters aren’t witches, the teenage acolytes make their headquarters not unlike a single-sex Hogwarts. The cast of “Prophecy” is sprawling and not equally well served; a subplot about a generic-seeming rebellion against the emperor is vague and extraneous, and despite some lengthy sex scenes, the romances to come lack spark. The show is nonetheless a broad enough canvas to explore broadly and develop competing viewpoints — and provide a platform for decorated professionals like Watson and Williams, who give their all to each imperious, veil-piercing gaze.

“Dune” has long had a reputation as an almost impenetrable epic for the most hardcore genre enthusiasts. Villeneuve miraculously succeeded where even a legend like David Lynch previously failed, turning the story into a mass phenomenon with eternal resonance as colonialism, environmentalism and religious zealotry. “Prophecy” is well positioned to act as a bridge for those intrigued by the tentpoles but not committed enough to delve deep into the Herberts’ archive. While no feast for the senses, it can fuel the growing interest of a revived audience.

The first episode of “Dune: Prophecy” will premiere on HBO and Max at 9 p.m. ET on November 17, and the remaining episodes will air weekly on Sundays.