What Went Wrong With Dune: Prophecy

HBO’s Dune: Prophecy has concluded its first season, and it’s worth assessing why it fell short. Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations of Frank Herbert’s original novel have popularized the Dune title in modern pop culture, combining blockbuster entertainment with cinematic excellence for a pair of movies that have achieved award acclaim and box office success. With that, it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. wanted to develop a high-budget spinoff TV series examining one of the universe’s most appealing elements: the Bene Gesserit. The show was met with mediocre reviews, with a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even lower 66% Audience Score.

The fact of the matter is Dune: Prophecy wasn’t the hit that it could have been. It wasn’t as popular as the Dune movies, and it wasn’t as nearly as popular as Game of Thrones, the show HBO modeled it after. Whether it could be in the future is up in the air. Dune: Prophecy could return swinging with an unbelievable sophomore season, but the issues behind the scenes and in the show itself deserve to be addressed. Like it or not, the series hasn’t lived up to the potential this franchise has proven capable of.

Dune: Prophecy Didn’t Have Denis Villeneuve Making It

Denis Villeneuve Dropped Out To Prioritize The Movies

Denis Villeneuve is the maestro audiences have come to associate with the Dune universe, and rightfully so. He developed a prolific novel, long thought to be unfilmable, and made two outstanding movies. He did for Dune what Peter Jackson did for The Lord of the Rings, creating a definitive edition of one of the most imaginative novels ever written. While the TV adaptation was crafted with the production value audiences have come to expect from HBO, it lacked the masterful visual flair that Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser bring to the table.

Denis Villeneuve was initially attached to the project in 2019 (via Variety), set to direct the pilot and produce the series. This would have set the tone for the remainder of the series, keeping a more direct fusion between the films and television prequel. However, Villeneuve dropped out of the project over time, fully devoting his focus to the now-trilogy of Dune movies he was set to make. Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus review of season 1 was that it “lacks the spice of Denis Villeneuve’s films,” importantly noting the downgrade in quality from his interpretations.

Dune: Prophecy’s Long Production & BTS Issues Caused Problems

Dune’s HBO Series Had Development Lulls

Dune: Prophecy’s production dates back to 2019, and the show’s development saw several behind-the-scenes hurdles that could’ve contributed to the first season’s struggles. First, the series received criticism for its lack of female representation in the initial production team, especially when exploring the Bene Gesserit (via TOR), which led to Dana Calvo being brought on as co-showrunner. Jon Spaihts, the original showrunner, was later removed from the project, with The Hollywood Reporter stating, “Legendary TV was not happy with the early work Spaihts submitted.” Similar issues persisted for years until the 2024 release.

Adapting Non-Frank Herbert Dune Books Was Always A Risk

The Expanded Dune Books Aren’t As Loved As The Originals

The Dune books are complicated to dive into, and there’s discrepancy among fans as to what’s considered “canon.” Frank Herbert wrote six volumes of his story, and those are generally perceived as being the only canon installments. His son, Brian Herbert, has teamed with Kevin J. Anderson for numerous expansion novels. While the expanded Dune books aren’t hated, the typical analysis is that they just don’t have the depth of the originals despite expanding the universe’s lore in numerous ways. Dune: Prophecy is based on their 2012 book Sisterhood of Dune, though it expands it with fresh material.

In many ways, Dune: Prophecy’s response in comparison to Denis Villeneuve’s movies is a lot like the difference between the books. It’d be hard to make a feasible claim that it’s a bad show. It’s not. But when it’s compared to something exceptional and prolific, it’s hard not to look at it and yearn for more. Adapting baseline material that’s widely perceived as being mediocre in comparison is hard to overcome. The screenwriters didn’t have great adaptation ideas to draw from and also had to keep their original ideas plausible within the confines of a preexisting world.

The Bene Gesserit Are Less Interesting The More You Explain Them

The Bene Gesserit Work Best As A Mysterious Force

When building an expansive fantasy or science fiction universe, mysticism is a crucial aspect. For the reader or viewer to feel engaged and immersed in said world, they need to feel like it’s bigger than they are. That’s part of what makes the Bene Gesserit so appealing in the original books and movies. They’re there on-screen; the viewer knows what their goals are, but the viewer also doesn’t know the world from their lens. There’s an inherent mysticism to the Bene Gesserit that implies something profound and unusual is happening behind closed doors, but it’s just out of reach.

Sometimes, art is better left mysterious. The Force in the Star Wars franchise is often the best example of something that’s ruined when it’s over-explained. The original trilogy poses it as a mystical, ambiguous force that works in ways that can’t be precisely pinned down. When midi-chlorians were introduced in The Phantom Menace, the veil was uncovered, and it wasn’t as appealing. Consider that same logic for the Bene Gesserit. When the ambiguity is removed and they take center stage, they lose much of the intrigue that makes them so fascinating.

Dune: Prophecy Had A Great Cast But Didn’t Develop Its Characters Enough

Six Episodes Wasn’t Enough Time To Make Meaningful Characters

Dune: Prophecy’s cast is unbelievably talented. Making a bad show with the likes of Olivia Williams, Emily Watson, and Mark Strong, just to name a few, would be virtually impossible. With that being said, the characters don’t allow them to access their full potential. In just six episodes, Dune: Prophecy manages to clearly define the goals and desires of a fairly large cast, and the viewer gets a sense of what everyone is about. But these characters don’t feel alive.

Those moments in the Dune movies where you get a surprising chuckle out of Stilgar or Duncan Idaho are vital. They’re the scenes that make the world feel lived-in. With only six episodes to develop that many characters, Dune: Prophecy has well-written discussion scenes and moves the plot along through dialogue, but without personality, it’s hard for the audience to resonate and feel the stakes. The writers can tell the viewer what the stakes are, but if they can’t connect to the characters, it doesn’t matter.

Sources: Variety, TOR, The Hollywood Reporter