Bollywood actor Tabu has been roped in for the upcoming Hollywood science fiction series Dune: Prophecy. According to reports, Tabu will appear in a recurring role– Sister Francesca, whose character has been described as “strong, intelligent, and alluring”-- in the series that will be a prequel to the widely successful Dune (2021) film directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The series was originally greenlit by HBO Max in 2019 as Dune: The Sisterhood and draws inspiration from the novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson. The show is speculated to be set 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atreides, the protagonist of the Dune film, whose family is thrust into a war for Arrakis, a futuristic, inhospitable planet. The show will reportedly explore the origin of Bene Gesserit, an exclusive sisterhood whose members possess advanced physical and mental abilities, through the eyes of two Harkonnen sisters. Tabu’s character is one that will likely leave a huge impact on the power balance of the Dune universe.
The series is also expected to feature notable names like Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Chris Mason, Sarah-Sofie Boussnin, and Chloe Lea, among others. The Dune films have been successful with the two films collectively raking in $1.1 billion worldwide. Dune: Part Two was released in March this year and starred Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Timothee Chalamet.
Tabu, a versatile actor with an illustrious filmography, has featured in two Hollywood films to date – The Namesake (2006) and Life of Pi (2012). In Bollywood, she was last seen in the film Crew, a comedy-heist film directed by Rajesh A Krishnan, along with Kriti Sanon and Kareena Kapoor. Some of Tabu’s other notable performances in the recent past include her roles in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Khufiya and Mira Nair’s Netflix adaptation of A Suitable Boy, among others.