Science-fiction sandworm series Dune: Prophecy coming to M-Net from 18 November as an Express from the US title

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net (DStv 101) has snagged the HBO Original science-fiction prequel series Dune: Prophecy which will broadcast as an Express from the US title on Mondays, from Monday 18 November at 21:00, similar to Sky in the United Kingdom.

Dune: Prophecy is a prequel series from Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schaper also serving as showrunner, set 10 000 years before the events of the Dune film of 2021 and its sequel. 

Dune: Prophecy is produced by Legendary Television and has a 6-episode first season. It is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.

The series is an origin story of the start and growth of the secretive and powerful Bene Gesserit sect of women, with the official logline stating that the story "follows sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they combat forces that threaten the future of humanity, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit". 

Besides the galactic machinations behind closed doors of the secretive sect to control the politics of the galaxy, Dune: Prophecy will also explore the origins of the interstellar family feud between the evil Harkonnens and the noble Atreides, although the Harkonnens when the series starts are not the vicious and depraved clan they end up being thousands of years later. 

 The TV series, filmed in Hungary, is a direct spin-off from the 2021 film and will debut on HBO in the United States on 17 November. 

Sky in the United Kingdom and MultiChoice's DStv will both show Dune: Prophecy on 18 November as an Express from the US title, after it was rebranded in July as an HBO Original.

Another upcoming series, Lanterns, was also rebranded as an HBO Original and will tell a Green Lanterns story, making it very likely also an M-Net and Showmax acquisition.

After the release of two Dune: Prophecy teasers over the last few months, HBO released an official trailer on Thursday at New York Comic Con.

It stars Mark Strong as the emperor, together with Travis Fimmel, Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Jessica Barden, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Josh Heuston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faoileann Cunningham, Edward Davis and Aoife Hinds.

WarnerMedia commissions new straight-to-series drama, Dune: The Sisterhood, based on Frank Herbert's science fiction saga.

WarnerMedia has commissioned, Dune: The Sisterhood, as a new straight-to-series science fiction TV drama for its new, to be launched streaming service based on the world of Frank Herbert's novels.

With the small to nothing chance that it's subscription video-on-demand service would be launched and become available in South Africa and across Sub-Saharan Africa as well when it's launched in late-2019 in America, it's not clear whether the licensing rights of Dune: The Sisterhood will end up being available to MultiChoice's M-Net (DStv 101) and Showmax currently carrying HBO content on the continent.

The female-focused Dune: The Sisterhood will be directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Jon Spaihts who are both executive producers, with the series that is produced by Legendary Television.

Dune: The Sisterhood is set in the far-flung future of humanity that colonised the galaxy and is being ruled by an emperor. A mysterious order of women called the Bene Gesserit are part of the galactic body politic and interested in the planet Arrakis (or Dune) that is of pivotal importance.

The Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own for Arrakis.

"The Bene Gesserit have always been fascinating to me. Focusing a series around that powerful order of women seemed not only relevant and inspiring but a dynamic setting for the television series," says Denis Villeneuve in a statement.

Dune was previously adapted for television in 2000 in the 3-episode miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune that was shown on the then Hallmark Channel on DStv in South Africa and later SABC3, along with the follow-up series, Frank Herbert's Children of Dune in 2003.