HBO has released the first official image of Emily Watson as Vali Harkonnen, the leader of the mysterious order of Ben Gesserit.
Valja Harkonnen will be one of the key players in «Dune: The Prophecy», which begins the feud between the Harkonnens and the Atrides. In the newly released image, the character wears her black Bene Gesserit uniform and sits on a throne with a face that makes it clear to everyone that this is not a person to be trifled with.
The series adapts the novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin Jay Anderson «The Order of the Sisters of Dune» and was originally announced in 2019 as «Dune: Sisterhood» (later updated to «Dune: Prophecy»). According to the synopsis, the series is set 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atrid and tells the story of two Garconnen sisters who fight the forces that threaten the future of humanity and found a legendary sect known as the Bene Gesserit.
Villeneuve’s films portray the Bene Gesserit as a group of powerful women who rule in secret, using the Voice to influence the will of others. From childhood, they are taught to control every function of their bodies, and they also have enhanced fighting skills and advanced physiological perception.
The series has gone a long way to the screen, which included numerous changes of showrunners and a creative reboot: in November 2022, Diane Ademu-John stopped working as a co-author of the seriesbut remained as an executive producer, and in 2023The following left the projectdirected by Johan Renk («Chernobyl») and starring actress Shirley Henderson.
Alison Schapker is currently the executive producer and showrunner. Anna Foerster also became an executive producer and director of several episodes, including the first one. The series was created jointly by the streaming service Max and Legendary Television (Legendary also produces the movie franchise).
In addition to Watson, the series stars Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel (who will embody the role of the main villain), Jodie May, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sophie Bussnina, Josh Huston, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Faylene Cunningham, Edward Davis, Afa Hinds, Chris Mason, and Shalom Brunet-Franklin.
The first film «Dune» by Denis Villeneuve debuted in 2021, and the second part was released in March 2024 and is stillholds the title of the highest grossing movie of the year. Together, they are earned more than $1.1 billion at the box office— third «Dune»currently under development.
The premiere of the series «Dune: The Prophecy», the first season of which will consist of 6 episodes, is scheduled for the fall.