By 
Let’s say you, like most people, haven’t read any of Frank Herbert‘s novels, but you’ve watched and rewatched both of Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune movies again and again. You should be set to jump right in to the new prequel series Dune: Prophecy, right?
As much as HBO and showrunners Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker want the answer to be “Yes,” the fact of the matter is that Herbert created a dense world, familiar and foreign all at once. We may be able to see similarities between the Bene Gesserit sisterhood and real-world nuns or the spice production on Arakkis and today’s oil mining operations, but Herbert covers those metaphors with unique language and backstory.
Dune: Prophecy makes things more complex by building not on any of Herbert’s works, but on the additional material written by his son Brian and co-writer Kevin J. Anderson. Prophecy builds off of the Great Schools of Dune trilogy, and takes place 60 years after those events. Furthermore, the moral complexity of Herbert’s world means that we can’t even break characters into simple good guy and bad guy categories, as demonstrated by the fact that the show chooses as protagonists Valya and Tula Harkonnen, ancestors of the movies’ big bads Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his nephew Fayd-Ratha Harkonnen (Austin Butler).
In short, Dune is complicated and confusing property. But Dune: Prophecy will make a lot more sense if you know a little about the characters, and that’s where Den of Geek has you covered.
Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen
The first episode of Prophecy begins with Valya explaining her family’s place in the world. While most viewers associate the name Harkonnen with the scheming Baron, Valya insists that her family was unfairly shamed by duplicitous Atreides during the war against “Thinking Machines” (read: AI) a century earlier. Valya sees a way forward for her family through the Sisterhood, a religious order that eventually becomes the Bene Gesserit.
Prophecy overcomes any prejudices viewers might have by casting Emily Watson as Valya. A veteran of stage and screen, Watson has an inherent sweetness and vulnerability, qualities that led to standout performances in Breaking the Waves and Punch-Drunk Love. Watson began in the Royal Shakespeare Company, training that serves her well while delivering Valya long and often deliberately obscure monologues. But will that be enough to make people see Valya as a hero?
Olivia Williams as Tula Harkonnen
Where Valya sees the Sisterhood as a means to restore the honor of her family, her sibling Tula sees it as a good unto its self. As a Reverend Mother within the Sisterhood, Tula devotes her time less to scheming power plays and more towards teaching her charges the fundamentals of their beliefs. Despite her differences in approach, Tula still deeply loves Valya and shows a great deal of patience for the latter’s plans.
Like Watson, Olivia Williams has a long and impressive career in film, television, and theaters. Moviegoers may know her best for supporting roles in The Sixth Sense and Rushmore, where she played women who provided stability in complex situations. That experience will serve Williams well while portraying Tula, as will her historical research. As Williams told Den of Geek earlier this year, she and Watson prepared for their roles by studying the portraits of Tudor sisters Mary and Elizabeth in the National Portrait Gallery.
Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino
Although he only had a few minutes of screen time, the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken) made his presence known throughout both Dune films. His distant ancestor Javicco Corrino will be much more noticeable in Dune: Prophecy, but will he be more effective? The scion of the house who established itself in the fallout of the war against Thinking Machines, Javicco rules an empire in transition, still trying to figure out how to live without computers. As future institutions such as the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild rise, Javicco’s weaknesses will be theirs to exploit.
Weakness isn’t often a word associated with Mark Strong, and not just because of his surname. Strong loves to play scheming villains, most recently stepping in for John Turturro as Carmine Falcone in The Penguin, but also as Doctor Sivana in Shazam!, Sinestro in Green Lantern, and Frank D’Amico in Kick-Ass. Strong will get to show off another set of skills as Javicco, a man who cannot keep up with the schemers around him.
Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez
One of the prime schemers with whom Javicco must contend is his own daughter, Princess Ynez. Ynez recognizes that, even 10,000 years in our future, patriarchy still limits the abilities of women, a limitation she rejects. She can play the dutiful daughter in a royal line, even agreeing to a political marriage to the pre-pubescent son of a spice baron from Arrakis. But make no mistake, she is playing, working her own angles until she can find a role that befits her desires.
A newcomer to most American and British viewers, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina has done most of her work in her native Denmark. There, she appeared on the 2011 crime series The Bridge and in the historical series 1864.
Jodhi May as Empress Natalya
Given Javicco’s weak will, one might wonder where Ynez got such resolve. Those questions fall away the first time viewers meet her mother Empress Natalya, played by Jodhi May. Natalya has not true love for Javicco, but rather married him as part of a political alliance. She finds herself frustrated, then, by Javicco’s unwillingness to strengthen that alliance, and especially his failure to recognize the threats around him on every side.
May knows how to play characters with great expectations, as she’s still the youngest person to ever receive a Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, having been bestowed the honor at age 12 for A World Apart. Lately, May has played royal figures in the series The Warrior Queen of Jhansi and The Witcher.
Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart
Everyone in Dune: Prophecy has a secret a long term goal. But Desmond Hart seems to want only chaos. A veteran of wars in service of the Empire, Desmond returns to the palace with a powerful combination of the crown’s respect and deep anger. Although the showrunners have described Desmond as an enemy of the Sisterhood, he seems to have no love for the Emperor either, leading to some shocking acts of violence.
Travis Fimmel is no stranger to genre television, having gotten his start playing Tarzan and eventually breaks out in the historical series Vikings. The Australian actor also appeared in the Warcraft movie as human hero Anduin Lothar.
Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides
Of course, no Dune story would be complete without an Atreides. But because the story comes from the perspective of Valya, the Atreides aren’t the noble people represented by Paul and Leto. They are just as dangerous as everyone else, as represented by Keiran Atreides. A sword master, Keiran comes into Javicco’s service ready to train soldiers for more traditional fights. But he’s forced to understand a different type of power as Valya and the Sisterhood make their moves.
Den of Geek readers most recently saw Chris Mason playing John Lennon in an episode of Doctor Who. Before that, Mason had parts in Riverdale and Broadchurch.
Tabu as Sister Francesca
Valya’s plans for the Sisterhood don’t go unchallenged from within, as many doubt her plans. One of the more notable objections comes from Sister Francesca, who advises a more slow and subtle course. Francesca’s approach may stem from her comfortable place within the Empire, as she lives in the palace with the Emperor and has Javicco’s ear. Before that, she had Javicco’s heart, and her emotional attachment creates tension in the Sisterhood and the Palace alike.
Hindi acting great Tabu plays Francesca, adding a bit of international prestige to Dune: Prophecy. With a career that stretches across three decades, Tabu has won numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards.
Jessica Barden and Emma Canning as young Valya and Tula Harkonnen
To add depth to the conflict between Valya and Tula, Dune: Prophecy regularly flashes back to the girls’ adolescence. Driven by a vision from her mentor Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson), Valya strives to change the Sisterhood and put a leader they can control on the Emperor’s throne. That certainty gives her a confidence and clarity that often puts her into conflict with her fellow Sisters, as well as her more even tempered younger sister Tula.
Before playing the younger Valya, Barden played Alyssa Foley in the original comedy The End of the F***ing World. She also went on to appear in the movies Scarborough and The Lobster. Irish actor Emma Canning has an impressive stage career, which includes performances in Trouble in Mind and The Night of the Iguana, as well as parts in the TV series The Irregulars and Masters of the Air.
Dune: Prophecy airs every Sunday at 9 pm EST on HBO and streams on Max.
The post Dune: Prophecy Character Guide – Valya Harkonnen, Javicco Corrino, and More appeared first on Den of Geek.
