Dune: Prophecy star teases her character and rejects comparisons to Star Wars: "It’s not childish… it’s not like Star Wars"

10,000 years before Paul Atreides became versed in the ways of the Bene Gesserit, two Harkonnen sisters forged their own destiny, helping bring the religious group to life. That's the focus of Dune: Prophecy, a prequel show heading our screens this November.

Now, Valya Harkonnen actor Emily Watson has teased more of the "moral complexity" of the HBO series – while dismissing comparisons to another big sci-fi franchise.

"It’s built around the Bene Gesserit order. That’s the sisterhood. That’s one of the central characters in it, and all the universes that they control, and their power… it’s kind of fascinating," Watson tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, September 12, which features The Penguin on the cover.

And what of the Harkonnens? While Watson says they are still "a bit of a fucked-up family", the clan will be "very recognisably human and complicated" and "less extreme" than their film counterparts millennia into the future.

That all amounts to Dune: Prophecy blending a mix of old lore and world-building with the chance to explore more uncharted territory. For Watson, that's a boon that allows her to showcase her talents.

"It was very exciting, but also very great to go into that world with the security of knowing I’ve got the skill set to make everything feel real," Watson says. "It’s a very interesting palette because it’s not childish… it’s not like Star Wars. It has a moral complexity, which is interesting."

Dune: Prophecy is released on HBO in the US in November and on NOW TV and Sky in the UK later this year. Watson's latest release, Small Things Like These, opens in cinemas on November 1. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, September 12.

Check out the covers below:

Subscribers have the exclusive text-free cover on the way to them right now, with the issue then hitting shops and digital newsstands on Thursday 12 September.