Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Mark Strong lead the cast of a sci-fi drama set over 10,000 years before the events of the Denis Villeneuve-directed movies.

Prophecy' is officially a Bene Gesserit origin story, but it often feels like Frank Herbert mapped onto George R.R. Martin. [REVIEW]

Dune: Prophecy review: "HBO's prequel occasionally stands up to Denis Villeneuve's movies – but largely falls short"

HBO bets big on this small-screen extension of Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune'-iverse being their next 'Game of Thrones' blockbuster series. Nice try.

Behind every supposedly "great man," there is not just a woman standing behind him, but an entire sisterhood of supernaturally gifted members pulling the strings. At least, this is the case in "Dune: Prophecy,

You’ve gotta feel for the team behind HBO’s Dune: Prophecy. Adding to any high-profile franchise is a daunting challenge, but following up two of the best-received sci-fi blockbusters in recent memory – Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One and Part Two – is a near-impossible ask.

While the show can’t match the outsized visual scope of Denis Villeneuve’s films, it does pleasingly approximate those vast alien landscapes, Brutalist edifices and high-ceilinged chambers on a TV budget. For those who find Villeneuve’s formal gigantism oppressive, the series’ more human scale might be another welcome change of fpace.