Dune: Prophecy Spinoff Series Adds Tabu

The iconic Hindi actress has joined Max's Dune spinoff.

By Jenna Anderson

Following the smash success of Dune: Part Two, viewers will be returning to the world of Arrakis sooner than later. In addition to rumblings about a third Dune film, a prequel spinoff series has been in the works titled Dune: Prophecy — and it has officially added its latest star. On Monday, reports revealed that prolific Indian actress Tabu has joined the cast of Dune: Prophecy. Tabu will appear in multiple episodes of Dune: Prophecy as Sister Francesca. Described as strong, intelligent, and alluring, Sister Francesca leaves a lasting impression in her wake. Once a great love of the Emperor, her return to the palace strains the balance of power in the capital.

Dune: Prophecy, formerly known as Dune: The Sisterhood, underwent a number of creative changes since it was first announced to be in the works in 2019. In 2023, reports indicated that the series had lost star Shirley Henderson, as well as the director of the first two episodes, Johan Renck. These exits occurred after the departure of showrunner Diane Ademu-John, who left the series right before it began production in late November, which reportedly led to major rewrites. The new Prophecy subtitle, and a fall 2024 release window, were subsequently announced late last year.

What Is Dune: Prophecy About?

Dune: Prophecy has been previously described as being told through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune. Members of the cast will also include Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen; Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez; Shalom Brune Franklin as Mikaela; Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen; Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline; Chloe Lea as Lila; Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart; Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino; Jade Anouka as Sister Theodosia; Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides.

"Oh, that is carrying on and I'm not allowed to talk about it very much," Spaihts previously said during an interview with The Playlist. "But that effort is alive and well. I ended up getting moved off of it to work, not just on Dune: Part Two, but to investigate other cinematic prospects in the Dune universe, which we are still talking about and which, again, I'm not allowed to say very much about. But it is a very rich world in which to play, and I think it is ripe with opportunities for storytelling in every direction. They're well down the road, but I honestly don't know the details of the timing."

Will There Be a Dune 3?

As fans of Herbert's books know, the grand narrative of Dune extends far beyond the events of the first book, which has led to a lot of speculation about whether or not Dune: Messiah could become the franchise's next film. Dune director Denis Villeneuve has teased that a script for Dune: Messiah exists, and that he is focusing on telling the best possible distillation of the source material.

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"I'm working on four different screenplays -- I know that Dune: Messiah will be one of them, I don't know if it will be the next or the second next," Villeneuve shared in an interview earlier this year. "My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible -- the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune: Messiah."

h/t: Variety

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