The origins of the mysterious Bene Gesserit are explored in a new Dune series, premiering tonight on HBO and streaming on Max.
Sisterhood of Dune
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Dune: Prophecy, which is set around 10,000 years before the Dune films, is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbet and Kevin J. Anderson. Per HBO, the show “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.”
The reason the show’s title changed from Dune: The Sisterhood to Dune: Prophecy, showrunner Alison Schapker said, was to expand past the Bene Gesserit. “The Sisterhood is very much our point of origin, and I think that there was a time when that title was very grounding and orienting to the show,” she told Collider. “We are still explaining it as, ‘This is the story of the origin of the Bene Gesserit,’ but I do feel like it is also set in a fully-realized world where it involves the Great Houses and the Imperium and the emperor. Eventually, over time, there are the other schools — there are the Mentats, there’s the Spacing Guild. There’s so much to the world that I don’t think we wanted to artificially narrow it in the title, ultimately.”
The six episode season will air on Sundays on HBO. The release schedule for Dune: Prophecy is as follows:
- Episode 1, “The Hidden Hand”: November 17, 2024, 9 p.m. eastern on HBO and Max
- Episode 2, “Two Wolves”: November 24, 2024, 9 p.m. eastern on HBO and Max
- Episode 3, “Sisterhood Above All”: December 1, 2024, 9 p.m. eastern on HBO and Max
- Episode 4: December 8, 2024, 9 p.m. eastern on HBO and Max
- Episode 5: December 15, 2024, 9 p.m. eastern on HBO and Max
- Episode 6 (season finale): December 8, 2024, 9 p.m. eastern on HBO and Max
Watch Dune: Prophecy on Max
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.