This year is shaping up to be a big year for the “Dune” franchisee. “Dune: Part Two” was an absolutely massive success at the box office and with critics. The film is likely going to be a major awards contender, as well. Now, we’re just days away from the premiere of the first spinoff, “Dune: Prophecy,” which is coming to HBO. And it appears, even before the first episode airs, a Season 2 is likely already in development. 
Speaking at a recent conference call about what HBO has planned for the upcoming year, executive Casey Bloys talked about “Dune: Prophecy” and what its future might look like. According to Bloys, he’s already tasked showrunner Allison Schapker with breaking down what a possible Season 2 might look like.
“Allison is in the room with writers now breaking a possible Season 2, and we do have the books,” said Bloys. “It is based on the books.”
As for how many seasons Bloys feels like “Dune: Prophecy” could run for, considering he’s already talking about Season 2, the HBO boss explained that it really comes down to what feels like the right number according to the showrunner.
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“That I usually leave to the showrunners,” Bloys said. “I leave it to them to figure out, again, that adaptation, what they get inspired from the original, what they want to add onto or not add onto. So I really do leave it to them in terms of what’s the right amount of episodes or seasons to fulfill their vision for the adaptation.”One thing that is clear with “Dune: Prophecy,” as well as shows like “The Last of Us” and “House of the Dragon,” is that there is no set number of episodes that a series must run. With ballooning budgets on these shows, in addition to the fact that each episode is like its own feature film, sometimes smaller seasons are the way to go. 
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“And as I said, I usually leave it to the creators when they look at the source material and figure out what they want to do, what stories they want to tell,” he said. “That’s usually our guide, but I don’t go to them with a prescribed, I need nine episodes out of you, 10 out of you, six out of you. I look to them to come to me with the episodes that they think they need.”
So, if you’re a fan of the “Dune” franchise, it looks like there is plenty to get excited about when it comes to the future. Not only do we have a third film coming from Denis Villeneuve, but it would appear the franchise is very much alive and well over on the TV side of things. 
– Additional reporting by Gregory Ellwood.