Dune: Prophecy has finally landed, with fans of the franchise hailing the new prequel series as ‘Game of Thrones in space’. Airing now, the six-part drama takes place 10,000 years before the events of Dune and the ascension of Paul Atreides.
It follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. Dune: Prophecy is inspired by the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert – the son of Dune creator Frank Herbert – and Kevin J. Anderson.
New episodes air on Mondays exclusively on Sky Atlantic, which is currently included with Sky’s Black Friday deals. Until December 3, Dune fans can get the Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle for its lowest-ever price of £19 a month, down from the usual £26.
READ MORE: Top Tech: Best of Sky's Black Friday deals including 'lowest price' TV and Netflix bundle
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This saves £168 over the 24-month term and comes with a new Sky Stream box, providing access to the biggest new shows like The Penguin and The Day of the Jackal, plus a Netflix subscription at no extra cost. Shoppers can also save £165 on a Sky Glass package with TV and Netflix built-in, which has been slashed to £33 when spreading the cost.
TV lovers can now get Sky TV and Netflix for £19 a month with the Sky Stream bundle that's at its lowest-ever price for Black Friday.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like The Penguin and the upcoming second season of Squid Game.
Dune: Prophecy boasts a stacked ensemble cast led by Oscar-nominee Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen, the leader of the Sisterhood. She stars alongside The Crown’s Olivia Williams, The Witcher’s Jodhi May and Kingsman’s Mark Strong.
First announced in 2019 with Dune director Denis Villeneuve attached to direct the pilot, the series has gone through several changes behind the scenes, with Lost and Westworld producer Alison Schapker eventually taking the helm as showrunner. On finding the balance between honouring the previous Dune titles while crafting a new series with its own creative freedoms, Schapker told Forbes: “That was some of the needle we wanted to thread because we have such tremendous respect for the source material.
“Everyone is influenced by Frank Herbert’s Dune in the writers room and everyone has treated Brian and Kevin’s novels like a seminal text. We are constantly turning back to source material.
“Denis’ films set a huge bar – I think unlocked Dune for so many people, in terms of just creating a world that was both mind-blowing, but also believable and grounded. So, that was also a thing we wanted to thread – but also, longform television is its own beast and we really wanted to create a story that had enough there to really pull you in.”
Since the debut episode premiered on Monday (November 18), fans have flocked to social media to share their reaction. Viewers have said they’re already ‘hooked’ on the series that’s been hailed as ‘Game of Thrones in space’.
Writing on X, @JorgieWrites said: “Dune: Prophecy is epic, sexy and has great drama. I love it. It’s riveting to see the show set the stage for the Dune films and also explores a few sides of Dune that aren’t explored in them.”
@griffithxjonson said: “Wow. I was sceptical going into Dune: Prophecy but after the first episode I’m all in. It’s truly Game of Thrones in space. It feels refreshingly different than the movies and feels massive and epic.”
@posaidwhat said: “The first episode was solid. It’s very interesting [and] had me hooked. The CGI/visuals/cinematography are incredible. The story is very intriguing. Characters are solid. The show itself is solid. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.”
@KQTx19 said: “Dune: Prophecy is so good. It really captures the vibes I got from the books and the two great movies.”
@BiblioTheory said: “I really enjoyed it. Learning about the start of the Bene Gesserit was very interesting. The mind machines were also a nice touch. Political tension, sci-fi powers, conniving plots and worms. Ready to see what comes next.”
However, not everyone has been so positive, as @marfleeta said: “Dune: Prophecy is a bit mid and can’t compare to the epic Denis Villeneuve films. A bit of a bore and not engaged. It just shows how epic and cinematic Villeneuve’s films are.”
Sky isn’t the only brand kicking off its Black Friday sale early, as Virgin Media has also slashed the prices of its TV and broadband plans. Virgin is offering up to £255 off a range of bundles that include more than 200 TV channels – including Sky Cinema and Sky Sports – and fibre broadband with speeds up to 1,130Mbps, as well as three months of free Disney+ at no extra cost.
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