Dune: Prophecy has a tall task translating the world of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films to the small screen, but showrunner Alison Schapker is up for the challenge. In an interview with Comicbook.com’s Chris Killian, Schapker explained how Villeneuve’s movies “unlocked” this infamously difficult-to-adapt franchise, paving the way for her prequel. She sees the series medium as a way to tell a more intimate story in Villeneuve’s “mesmerizing” setting.
“Denis obviously just created a world of such incredible spectacle and elegance, and his aesthetic choices were just mesmerizingly beautiful,” Schapker said. “His characters – I think he managed to connect you very much to Paul Atreides’ journey. In our show, as we are 10,000 years before, we too tried to achieve levels of spectacle and beauty.” The difference, Schapker said, comes in the TV medium and how it holds an audience’s attention compared to a blockbuster movie.
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“[We] tried to have it – you know, we said a lot ‘epic but intimate,’” she said. In television, I think you need to be up close to character, I think you need to be relating to your characters, and really pulling people through the story. Because it’s not an IMAX screen, it’s a small screen, and you only have so much control over the environment, and that story really needs to feel true.”
Playing in the Dune Sandbox
Asked about how it felt to work on adapting such a legendary series, Schapker said: “It was daunting and thrilling in equal capacities, because the reason you’re intimidated is the same reason it’s exciting, which is there’s a possibility to do something special – and somebody’s done it! You know, Denis Villeneuve’s films went out and, I think, really unlocked Dune for whole swaths of people around the world.”
“I think we knew that Dune is meaningful, it’s super influential, it’s a classic, and at the same time those are all the things that make it great,” she went on. “So, the idea that you could play in that sandbox or be a part of that world was such a privilege and so we were excited as well. I would say equal doses fear and excitement.”
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Dune: Prophecy is a loose adaptation of a trilogy of prequel novels called Great Schools of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. It takes place about 10,000 years before Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel, which is still about 10,000 years after the present day. At this time, humanity is still establishing itself after defeating its artificially intelligent overlords in the “Butlerian Jihad.” The series is about the establishment of the organizations that will take the place of AI in this world, including the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, the Mentats, the Guild Navigators, the Swordmasters and so on.
Dune: Prophecy premieres on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. Villeneuve’s Dune movies are streaming there now. The novels are available in print, digital and audiobook formats.
