‘Dune: Prophecy’ on HBO and Max: First Look at the Cast

'Dune: Prophecy’ is a prequel to the films, but it shares their sprawling cast and distinct production style. Here’s a first look.

Let’s cut to the sandworm ride: If you’re a Max subscriber and a fan of the recent Dune films, we already know what you’re gonna be dune Sunday nights until Christmas.

Dune: Prophecy – a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of the Denis Villeneuve films – premieres Sunday, Nov. 17 at 9pm ET on HBO East and Max. You can also watch new episodes on-demand the following day. With a sprawling cast, immaculate production design, and lots of women in exotic face coverings, it looks to share more than a few similarities with the pair of recent movies. But Dune: Prophecy is actually based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, which dives into the origins of the scheming Bene Gesserit and other branches of the interstellar bureaucracy.

Here’s your first look at the cast of Dune: Prophecy. To watch with HBO or Max on Sling, use the link at the bottom of this page to add Max to your Sling subscription or Sling Freestream account.

Meet the Cast of Dune: Prophecy

SPOILERS for the Dune films follow.

According to the show’s official logline, “Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams) as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.” That’s a pretty vague description, and the trailers are similarly heavy on conspiratorial vibes over anything specific in the story.

But when you look at the list of the character’s names, you begin to suspect how the show may take shape. Lady Jessica, as we were shocked to learn in Dune: Part Two, is the daughter of the monstrous Baron Harkonnen, and these Harkonnen sisters appear to share her gift for mind-control via creepy voices. Watson plays ​​Valya Harkonnen, while Williams portrays Tula Harkonnen and much of the cast is made up of their “sisterhood,” including Jade Anouka as Sister Theodosia, "a talented and ambitious acolyte at the Sisterhood who harbors a dangerous secret about her past"; Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen, “a fierce, unpredictable acolyte in training at the Sisterhood School who rarely reveals her emotional core”; and Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline, “a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who carries fervent religion to her training at the Sisterhood.”

Unlike the ineffectual and capricious Emperor played by Christopher Walken in Dune: Part Two, the head of the Imperium in Dune: Prophecy (Emperor Javicco Corrino, played by Mark Strong) is “a man from a great line of war-time Emperors, who is called upon to govern the Imperium and manage a fragile peace.” Jodhi May stars as Empress Natalya, "a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino, while Sarah-Sofie Boussnina portrays her daughter, Princess Ynez, "an independent young princess dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne.” The main cast is filled out by Shalom Brune-Franklin as Mikaela, "a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she's never known"; Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart, "a charismatic soldier with an enigmatic past, who seeks to gain the Emperor's trust at the expense of the Sisterhood”; and Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides, "a Swordmaster to a Great House whose ambition to live up to his family name is disrupted when he forms an unexpected connection to a member of the royal family.”

Check out a slideshow of the cast of Dune: Prophecy below and use the link to subscribe to Max to watch the premiere Sunday, Nov. 17 at 9pm ET on HBO East and Max.