The world of Dune expands in HBO’s Dune: Prophecy, but is the series connected to Denis Villenueve’s films?

Dune: Prophecy is HBO’s latest high-concept series set in the sci-fi world created by Frank Herbert.

The series is the second adaptation to come out of the world of Dune this year with Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster follow-up, Dune: Part Two, making waves back in February.

Unlike Villeneuve’s films, Dune: Prophecy is based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s Sisterhood of Dune novels, which serve as a prequel to Frank Herbert’s original books, and explore the origins of the mysterious organization known as the Bene Gesserit.

Are Dune and Dune: Prophecy Set in the Same Universe?

With the first episode of Dune: Prophecy now out in the world, Dune fans may be wondering if the series is designed to fit in with Villeneuve’s movies or is its own entity.

The answer was provided by Dune: Prophecy’s executive producer Jordan Goldberg in an interview with Empire, who said the series is definitely “in the same universe” as Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, but that Villeneuve and writer Jon Spaihts, were no longer directly involved.

Goldberg added Dune: Prophecy is meant to “follow the essence” of what Villeneuve created in his Dune movies:

“We feel like we have to follow the essence of what Denis has done. He set the tone.”

The producer also hinted at the variety of genres Dune: Prophecy explores, including “political intrigue”, “espionage”, and event “horror:”

“Along with the political intrigue, there’s a great deal of espionage. A great deal of action and adventure. There’s a romance. And what’s really exciting to me is we also get to do a lot of horror stuff.”

How The Dune Movies and Dune: Prophecy Connect

Early in Dune: Prophecy’s first episode a title card explains exactly where the series sits in the timeline of the Dune universe thus far. The series takes place 116 years after the great war with the Thinking Machines and exactly 10,148 years before the birth of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet’s character).

Using the main character from Villenueve’s Dune films to anchor audiences in time in this way is similar to a tactic used by HBO’s House of the Dragon, which established its timeline in its first episode concerning the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

For those familiar with the Dune world and its movie adaptations, some of the other connections between these and Dune: Prophecy may be obvious.

The series uses its high budget to replicate the visuals and tone established in Villenueve’s films. This is particularly obvious in the design of the Shai-Hulud, aka sandworms, that roam the planet of Arrakis, which is identical to the creatures’ depiction in the movies.

Many aspects of Valya Harkonnen’s (Emily Watson) sisterhood are also reminiscent of the Bene Gesserit in the Dune movies, although the group is still on the path to becoming known by this name in Dune: Prophecy. 

The series gives insight into elements from the Dune movies like the supernatural “voice” that the sisters use to manipulate others, the truthsayers who sit at the side of the leaders in each great house, and the idea of prophecies and great genetic matches between bloodlines.

Many of the great houses in the Dune movies are also seen in their earlier forms in Dune: Prophecy, including the Harkonnens, Atreides, and the Corrinos. The Freman on Arrakis are also mentioned, as is the coveted mineral spice.

All this works together to extend the world created by Denis Villeneuve, which will hopefully lessen the wait audiences have until Dune: Part Three can be released.

New episodes of Dune: Prophecy are released on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Max.