The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub speaks with the cast of
Dune: Prophecy
at New York Comic Con 2024.

Dune: Prophec
y explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit, the Imperium, and the many intertwined families of the universe.
During their conversation, the cast discusses performing stunts, epic practical set builds, learning the lingo of
Dune
, and episodes to be on the lookout for.

With the Dune films dominating the box office and pop culture landscape, it was inevitable that Frank Herbert’s beloved science-fiction would continue on the small screen. Dune: Prophecy, the upcoming prequel show to the Denis Villeneuve films, is set thousands of years before Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) led an uprising on Arrakis.

The series, created by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker, explores the origins of the Bene Gesserit, an exclusive and powerful Sisterhood who undergoes intense physical and psychological training to obtain superhuman abilities. The cast includes Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, and Mark Strong. Dune: Prophecy premieres on Max on November 17, 2024.

At New York Comic-Con, Collider’s Steven Weintraub sat down with cast members Jessica Barden, Chloe Lea, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, and Josh Heuston to discuss the impressive practical sets, performing intense fight choreography, delivering specific Dune-related jargon, and the show’s similarities to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. You can watch the full conversation in the video above or read the transcript below.

The Sets on ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Are All Practical
Photo via Max

COLLIDER: No one watching this will have seen anything yet, so who wants to bite the bullet and do the “what’s the show about?”

JESSICA BARDEN: The show is about the Bene Gesserit, the origins of the Sisterhood and the order of the Bene Gesserit. It also is an origin story of the Harkonnen family. It goes into the Corrino family and it explores the Imperium. It’s a hell of a time.

One of the things that I was really impressed with was that right from the beginning, this is not watered-down content. You need to be paying attention. There’s a lot of family stuff and politics and cool visuals, and it’s very immersive. Can you talk about what it was like being on set when it’s clear that the people making this are spending some serious money?

SARAH-SOFIE BOUSSNINA: Incredible.

BARDEN: Amazing!

CHLOE LEA: Insane. [Laughs]

BOUSSNINA: The sets are old. They’re all built practically. Everything down to the detail is so well-made, from sets to costumes, every department put so much work into creating it. It was such a gift for us to actually be there, and everything we’re in actually exists.

JOSH HEUSTON: Even the books on the shelves in the Sisterhood have words written in them.

LEA: The prop team was incredible. Everything that we were holding and had to deal with felt really authentic. We didn’t really have to do that level of acting.

BARDEN: There were a lot of things you wanted to steal from the set.

Yeah, I would have walked out with literally everything. I’m a klepto on a set if they let me.

HEUSTON: I tried.

BARDEN: You would have loved this set.

Oh, I’m sure.

‘Dune: Prophecy’ Built a Spice Den for This Particular Scene
Image via Max

I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but one of the scenes that struck me was when you guys go to a club in the Dune universe.

HEUSTON: The spice den.

I’m watching the scene, and I’m like, “Did they just build this for this one scene?”

BOUSSNINA: Oh yes!

HEUSTON: Well, they use it for a few scenes, but they built that.

BOUSSNINA: They did just build it. It was gone when we finished.

HEUSTON: It’s in the middle of a warehouse. You walk into a warehouse and then inside the warehouse is the spice den.

It’s a very cool, futuristic drug-using [club]. I don’t want to do spoilers but tease that set and scene.

BOUSSNINA: It’s a very VIP club where a lot of things go down. People take spice, and they have a good time. It’s this very dark room, but then with orange and yellow lights. It’s very sexy.

HEUSTON: There’s a whole synthetic drug scene in Dune, as well. They don’t go into too much detail in the first couple of episodes, but those inhaler things are catered to each person to have a certain dosage.

BARDEN: It’s a vape. [Laughs]

HEUSTON: It looks like an oxygen mouthpiece.

BOUSSNINA: It’s specialized for each individual person.

This is what I’m talking about. I was watching that, and I’m like, “Oh, this is not what I’m used to.” You’re showing stuff that takes place that is different than Dune .

Are People “Going to Stop Talking About the Atreides” After ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 3?
The cast share their most-anticipated episodes for Season 1.

There are six episodes in this series. For each of you, in the first season, which episode is the one that you’re most looking forward to fans seeing?

LEA: For me, it’s Episodes 2 and 6. Sorry, cheated the question. Two episodes — cannot wait!

HEUSTON: Mine’s Episode 5.

BOUSSNINA: I think mine is Episode 4.

BARDEN: I’m really excited to see Episode 3 so that people can just — I don’t know if this is a spoiler — stop talking about the Atreides. But I’m really looking forward to the last episode because in the last episode, I’m like a full action person for the first time in my life. I always wanted to do it. And I just want to say that I didn’t use any knee or elbow pads, and I’m very down to do stunts for the rest of my career. I always wanted to do it.

That’s because you’re young. Talk to me in 10 to 15 years.

BARDEN: They were like, “You need to put them on.” I was like, “I do this all the time!” When they want you to, like, climb a tree or something, and they’re like, “Look, this is health and safety.” You’re like, “What are you talking about?” This was one of those things, and I said, “No, I want it to be real. I wanna feel it. Don’t give me the knee pads.” I’m excited about Episode 6. I get to do action-hero stuff.

LEA: Basically, Jess wants people to lose their jobs over not enforcing health and safety.

BARDEN: I just like the story.

‘Dune’-O Lingo Was a “Tremendous” Effort on the Set of ‘Dune: Prophecy’
Image via Max

When you see the shooting schedule in front of you, what day did you have circled in terms of, “Oh my god, I can’t wait to do this,” and what day was circled in terms of, “How the F are we gonna do this?”

LEA: I was always looking forward to scenes with Olivia [Williams], and I was always equally looking forward to scenes with Faoileann [Cunningham] and Aoife [Hinds] and Jade [Anouka], who are the other sisters in the Sisterhood. I think it was just days they were going to be on set because I knew it was going to be a good time.

HEUSTON: For me, I think any scene that involves any sort of fight choreography, I was really looking forward to because the training that goes into that is really fun. Then, any scene involved with the baliset I had so much dread over because it’s hard to learn a mythical instrument. You go to YouTube, and there are three videos, and I’m like, “That’s not gonna work.”

BARDEN: By the end of it, I look forward to scenes with other people because there’s one episode where I’m just by myself all the time. That’s why I was always active in the group text. I would just be on a chat talking by myself. The scenes I dreaded were any scene — it’s a huge spoiler, I can’t tell you what I’m talking about — with words that are very “Dune-y” words, calling things and talking in a rhythm, which is this weird rhythm, which is kind of like Shakespearean sci-fi, and you’re saying things that don’t exist in real life, and it’s a six-page scene. You’re like, “I am remembering,” I mean this with respect, “nonsense! How am I gonna do this scene?” Because it doesn’t make sense in real life, and you have just learned this thing. You pray to God that you can remember on the day. You don’t sleep the night before.

I know exactly what you mean. I’ve spoken to a lot of Star Trek actors. It’s the same.

BARDEN: Yeah, Emily [Watson] said the same thing.

It’s totally valid in the Dune universe, but you would never say these words in public.

BARDEN: You’re just aware that you don’t also tremendously understand what you’re saying, but it’s so important to this day that you remember, and it’s nerve-wracking.

What do you think would surprise soon-to-be fans of this show to learn about the making of the show?

Related ‘Dune: Prophecy’: Everything We Know About The ‘Dune’ Prequel Series Spice, Space Politics, and The Sisterhood return in this ‘Dune’ prequel series.

LEA: We’ve talked about this a lot, but they’ll be surprised by how much isn’t green screen and how much is just real stuff that was there on the day on set.

BOUSSNINA: And how many people it takes for this to be made. There’s a costume department, but there are so many people working in the costume department and all the other departments, as well. The amount of people who just put everything into creating what you see is huge.

LEA: They all cared about the show, and they were all on their A-game all the time, which is very impressive.

HEUSTON: The throne room, for example, is completely built. It’s a three-story room and then everything in that is there. Even the lights on the outside, the light comes in. That’s not even special effects. They would change the lighting and then have a smoke machine so you get those lines of light. They do it all on the day. It’s crazy.

How ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Compares to Other Television Epics Like ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘House of the Dragon’
Image via Max

I think there might be some people who want to compare this show possibly to House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones. There is that similarity in terms of the families and everyone’s trying to screw each other over.

BARDEN: That’s a huge compliment. Those shows are amazing.

Would you compare the show to those two shows? Do you feel that it’s similar? Do you feel it’s different?

LEA: I feel like it attracts a similar audience. People who are invested in those shows can definitely lose themselves in what we’ve managed to do.

HEUSTON: The storytelling structure is similar in terms of the houses, and then it’s weaving in between different storylines that all connect at the end or aim to connect at some point.

BOUSSNINA: It’s also incredible how many stories out there are inspired by Dune, the book. So, I feel like naturally, you compare. It’s a huge compliment because those shows are amazing. We love those shows, so great!

We’re at Comic-Con in New York. I’m just curious if there’s anything that you guys collect. If you get to walk the convention floor, what would you buy?

HEUSTON: Tamagotchi

LEA: We’ve all been looking at the Tamagotchi.

BARDEN: Do they have Calico Critters? They’re called Sylvanian Families in Europe, but here they’re called Calico Critters. They’re these little animals, and they have houses. There’s the hedgehog family, the weasel family, the cats, the sheep. Do they have them here?

HEUSTON: Everyone’s nodding, but I have no idea what this is. [Laughs]

So I’m not alone, because I have no idea. I’ll look it up.

BARDEN: They’re called Calico Critters. It’s super American. [Laughs] They’re like woodland animals.

LEA: They’re so cute!

BARDEN: They really are. I love Calico Critters. Why has no one made the Calico Critters into a TV show?

Image via Max

When you guys signed on, how much did they actually say to you about the ultimate plans for the arc of your characters? How much did you know, and how much was it like, “Oh, this is gonna be a good show. I’m in regardless?”

LEA: I knew nothing compared to what eventually happens to my character.

BARDEN: I knew everything. Alison [Schapker] told me everything.

HEUSTON: I got told everything at the beginning.

BOUSSNINA: Yeah, same.

LEA: I guess I was the only one in the dark! Thanks, guys. There was a big change for my character, and that’s all I can say about that. It was a daunting, scary experience, but ultimately, I’m very happy and grateful with the way that Lila gets to transform.

HEUSTON: Yeah, you killed it.

Dune: Prophecy premieres on Max on November 17, 2024. You can binge Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two on HBO Max in the meantime.

TV series set in the ‘Dune’ universe which centers on the lives of the Bene Gesserit.Release Date November 17, 2024 Cast Emily Watson , Olivia Williams , Jodhi May , Travis Fimmel , Mark Strong , Jade Anouka , Chris Mason , Sarah-Sofie Boussnina , Shalom Brune-Franklin , Faoileann Cunningham , Aoife Hinds , Chloe Lea , Josh Heuston , Edward Davis , Tabu , Yerin Ha Writers Diane Ademu-John , Kevin J. Anderson , Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert Expand

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