Dune: Prophecy is the latest title in the long line of a franchise curse that began with the novel Dune: House Atreides in 1999. Frank Herbert wrote his original novel in 1965, forever changing the landscape of science fiction media, even serving as inspiration for Star Wars. THE Dune the films so far have been adaptations of Frank Herbert's original book, with the next film being developed based on Messiah Dune. The HBO prequel series, Dune: Prophecyon the other hand, it is based primarily on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's 2012 book, Dune Brotherhood.
Set 10,000 years before the movies started Dune timeline; The HBO spinoff series expands the world that Frank Herbert originally created with material from Brian Herbert's books as well as entirely new ideas. It should be mentioned first that the series is not strictly bad. The production value is what one would expect from an HBO show and Dune: Prophecy the cast is exceptional. With that said, the series had a much less stellar reception than 2024 Dune: Part 2with a mediocre 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's worth explaining why.
The non-Frank Herbert Dune books weren't as good as the originals
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's novels never reached the same heights
Dune: Prophecyof the shortcomings compared to the films stem from an inherent weakness. Although Denis Villeneuve adapted a prolific and genre-defining literary work that is highly regarded as one of the most imaginative novels ever written, The HBO adaptation was made using material from the books by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, which were never as well received as the originals. This results in an immense adaptation challenge, as writers are confined to an already established universe, limiting what they can create or change, while at the same time not having the most inspiring story to adapt to.
The main issue is that they exist in the shadow of a masterpiece and mostly lack the thematic depth and nuance that make the 1965 novel so legendary.
As Dune: Prophecythe non-Frank Herbert books aren't terrible. They are decent books that expand the world with some interesting stories and characters. The main issue is that they exist in the shadow of a masterpiece and mostly lack the thematic depth and nuance that make the 1965 novel so legendary. While a television adaptation examining the Bene Gesserit may look good on paper, it unfortunately comes with the same relative disappointment and underwhelming feeling that the expansion books have always been known for.
Dune: The Prophecy Can't Compete With Denis Villeneuve's Dune Films
Dune: Prophecy doesn't have the depth of the Dune films
Although Denis Villeneuve's films make changes to Frank Herbert's original, Dune text, they are widely perceived as the defining adaptations of the book. Like with Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy, being the defining adaptation of an iconic book, has an impact on the franchise as sequels struggle to be well received. It's not just because audiences don't want to accept new material, but also because the original sets such a high standard for what the franchise can be, and that gold standard becomes nearly impossible to surpass.
Not only has Denis Villeneuve's films have already told what is undoubtedly the best story in the world. Dune universebut they did it with such respectable quality and visual beauty that anything less is painfully noticeable. Dune: Prophecy It's well shot and matches the films in many aspects of its production value, but it's not as cinematic and doesn't generate excitement in the same way. The series won't stand out by competing with the films, so it has to focus on things like character development and a complex plot, things that feature feature-length stories can't offer the same capability.
Dune: Prophecy highlights the challenge of continuing Dune without Villeneuve
How does Warner Bros. Will Pursue Children Of Dune Without Its Lead Actor And Director?
The next issue at play is that Warner Bros. may want to continue expanding the franchise beyond the current titles. Dune: Prophecy 2nd season and Dune: Part 3 are underway, but likely won't stop there. Dune Book readers may argue that Frank Herbert's later novels are as impressive or better in a particular way, but they are not as popular, and with that factor comes the unfortunate circumstance that they may not receive the same resources or dedication as The first two books are being adapted.
If the Dune saga hopes to continue later Messiah Without Denis Villeneuve on board, there will be some challenges for the franchise to overcome. Not to mention that the absence of Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides could immediately harm box office results, limiting the resources Warner Bros. has to offer. Children of Dune and subsequent sequences. Dune: Prophecy highlighted potential long-term problems for this franchise. If Warner Bros. If this is to be one of their most memorable titles, they'll have to figure out how to tell exceptional stories without Villeneuve.