Summary
Despite its infancy, Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapke’sDune: Prophecyis already showing that all roads lead to Arrakis. Set some 10,148 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, the prequel series to Denis Villeneuve’sDunemovies looks set to put the pieces in place for hisDune: Part Threeand his plans to bow out of the saga with a trilogy.
As well as Villeneuve’s franchise, David Lynch famously delivered his take onDunein 1984, while the Sci-Fi Channel releasedFrank Herbert’s DuneandFrank Herbert’s Children of Dunein 2000 and 2003. The Duniverse has never gone past the events ofHerbert’sChildren of Dunenovelin movie or TV form, but already,Dune: Prophecyis sowing the seeds for the ‘unfilmable’God Emperor of Dune.
Dune: Prophecy Acknowledges God Emperor of Dune
Even thoughDune: Prophecyis set many millennia before the Timothée Chalamet-ledDunemovies, there’s already plenty of connective tissue. Baron Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis) is just as slippery asDune’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) gives viewers a first tease ofthe Voice. And what’s more, there’s a nod to the controversialGod Emperor of Dune.
Dune: Prophecyopens with a younger version of Valya (Jessica Barden) called to the side of a dyingMother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson). With her dying breath, Raquella says:
Red dust….red…red. it’s coming, Tiran-Arafel.
Raquella sees two glowing blue eyes, which seem to hint at the rise of Paul Atreides and the crumbling of theBene Gesserit’s planto control the Imperium from the shadows. However, their fear of“a holy judgment brought on by a tyrant”is a nod to Paul’s son, Leto II Atreides. While Leto II’s admirers referred to him as God Emperor, his enemies (including the Bene Gesserit) nicknamed him the Tyrant of the Known Universe.
Named after Paul’s father, Leto (played by Oscar Isaac inDune), Leto II rules for thousands of years after a blindedPaul walks into the desert of Arrakis, never to be seen again (in a traditional sense). Leto II only appears as a child inDune Messiah, meaning he likely won’t play a major part in Villeneuve’s trilogy. Still, a young James McAvoy played him in the Sci-Fi Channel adaptation. Leto II is one of the franchise’s most iconic characters, becoming a human-sandworm hybrid. As the Mother Superior’s dying vision also shows a giant sandworm destroying the Sisterhood temple on Wallach IX, her vision seems to foreshadowGod Emperor of Dune.
Dune: Prophecyalso references Tiran-Arafel, and ‘arafel’ is one of the final words spoken by Leto II before he’s assassinated inGod Emperor of Dune. Before his ultimate demise, Leto II says:
Do not fear the Ixians. They can make the machines, but they no longer can make arafel. I know. I was there.
As noted by YouTuberQuinn’s Ideas, “arafel” is a Hebrew word for fog, which also represents things about God that are unknowably obscured. In the context ofDune, it’s later referred to as a “cloud-darkness of holy judgment” that’s an apocalypse for humankind.Prophecytweaks this by adding ‘tiran’ to the start of it, again reiterating that a tyrant will be responsible for the end of days.
The Bene Gesserit are right to be worried about both Paul and Leto II, because if not for their meddling to create theKwisatz Haderach, the latter would never have been born. Under Leto II’s rule, the Bene Gesserit have their breeding program removed from them and are rationed spice to keep them loyal to him. The Bene Gesserit eventually return to a position of power in Herbert’s penultimate book,Heretics of Dune.But as that book is set 1,500 years after Leto II’s death, the sisters are downtrodden for a long time.
Why is God Emperor of Dune ‘Unfilmable’?
Much like how HBO has continued miningGame of Throneswith prequels, talks of sequels, and anewly announced movie, it’s doubtful that Warner Bros. is going to leave the reinvigoratedDuneIP here. The problem is,God Emperor of Duneand the following books present several problems. During an interview withEmpiremagazine, Villeneuve explained how his third movie might only adaptDune Messiah:
After that, the books become more… esoteric.
A tease of Paul’s sister,Alia Atreides (Anya Taylor-Joy), inDune: Part Twosuggests she’ll be a major presence, like she is in the books. However, Villeneuve’sDunetrilogy looks like it will round off their story, and likely end with a blind Paul heading into the desert to be a hermit.
The movies have made it big off the pack by championing Timothee Chalamet’s Paul as its poster boy, but at its core, Paul Atreides has never been the main character of the Duniverse. Having Valya as the focus ofDune: Prophecyand moving away from House Atreides has already proved that a successful adaptation doesn’t need Muad’dib. Whether the series will be left withVilleneuve’sDunetrilogyor continued by someone else into the weirder aspects of Herbert’s book and the sequels that were written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson remains to be seen.
Star Warshas already proved it doesn’t need Luke Skywalker to survive, and with a whole new trilogy pitching Daisy Ridley’s Rey as its most valuable asset, there’s life beyond Paul Atreides. Still, it would be awkward to introduce Leto II and his sister, Ghanima, without continuing their arcs inGod Emperor of Dune.Star Warsmanaged to successfully transfer its legacy characters into the sequels. While there’s something of a continuation thanks to Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho in his ghola (clone) form alongside theBene Tleilax, readers tend to agree with Villeneuve that things get increasingly ‘niche’ afterMessiah.
Even if the studio isn’t willing to take a gamble on the ‘unfilmable’God Emperor of Dune, foreshadowing and visions in the likes ofDune: ProphecyandDune: Part Threeserve as tasty Easter eggs for those who are disappointed that they might never see the later books turned into live-action outings. Then again, if theDunemovies keep making more and more money at the box office whileProphecyreminds everyone thatGod Emperor of Duneexists, audiences might eventually be forced to sit through two and a half hours of a CGI worm.
