“Dune: Prophecy” spoiler alert incoming! Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), the warrior, is Tula Harkonnen’s (Olivia Williams) secret son, and is half Harkonnen and half Atreides.
But there were hidden hints revealing his identity from the get-go.
Showrunner Alison Schapker was speaking at the show’s FYC and revealed how there had been an Easter egg from the beginning, and it would be the very thing that connects him to his mother, and audiences finally learn who he is. She revealed, “He walks up to the palace, and he has a little piece of black cloth, and it takes the whole season for you to really figure out where that comes from, but that’s a connection to his mom.”
That was just one of the key reveals during the panel moderated by Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay. Schapker was joined by Emily Watson (Valya Harkonnen), Williams, Fimmel, producer Jordan Goldberg, costume designer Bojana Nikitović, production designer Tom Meyer and VFX supervisor Michael Enriquez.
Williams expanded on the idea that Desmond would be carrying this piece of black cloth throughout the show. She said, “Anyone with small children knows that the first thing that you wrap a child in, you can’t ever lose it, or change it, because the kid will notice. So, it was a beautiful theme that ran through.”
The character of Desmond Hart was not featured in any of the Dune books, thus making his character even more mysterious to audiences. Speaking about taking the character on, Fimmel said he didn’t have as much pressure as his fellow actors. “There’s such a vast background on the show.” Fimmel joked, “I was lucky. I just had mummy issues, you know, and just a primal need to get love in that. And then that was one of the easiest jobs to do.”
The series is set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides and follows two Harkonnen sisters battling forces that threaten the future of humankind, and eventually they establish what goes on to become the Bene Gesserit.
Aside from Easter eggs, there was world-building, including a vast desert landscape which has become synonymous with the Dune world, and dark structures of the sisterhood’s complex.
One sequence that was discussed was in the flashbacks with Valya of Jessica in the ice lake sequence with a snowstorm. The environment reflected the character’s emotions and where she was at. As the scene goes on, the ice starts to crack and black snow starts to fall, a symbol of her internal conflicts. In creating that, Enriquez admitted that scene was difficult and was one of the most involved sequences of the series. “We had a lot of wind blowing, a portion of the ice surface was built, and there had to be a storm that involved not only white but black snow.” Enriquez explained, “We replaced the entire environment. What we had there was amazing to get the proper lighting on Emily and on Jessica, and then, eventually we just basically lifted everything else and built this entire snowstorm around them.”
Meyer spoke about designing the sets, which he says were a reflection of his approach, and that “Dune: Prophecy” was a big story and featured big worlds. However, in conceiving his ideas, Meyer says he wanted the worlds to feel grounded and real, and not feel science-fiction. “It had a sense of history. The stonework in the palace would have the oil rub from people touching the stone over centuries. And then in the sisterhood, there was a real construction.” He added that the columns and cornices, and details in his work had a sense of grounding, but they were new shapes and ideas that felt new to viewers.
The conversation ended with a look ahead to season two and what the audience could expect. Schapker answered that the creative team is still in its early stages. “I think you can expect to see what some of the different schools are about, and we’re just going to meet some of the other players in the Imperium and power players.”
She went on to hint at what else fans might see. “I would just say, if you’re a ‘Dune’ fan and you’re wondering where are the Mentats? What’s up with the spacing guild? I think Season 2 will take you into some of that rich Dune world.”
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