Dune: The Sisterhood

Dune: The Sisterhood is an upcoming science fiction television series set in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert, for the streaming service Max. Taking place approximately 10,000 years before the events of Herbert's 1965 novel Dune, it will focus on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, an exclusive sisterhood and political force whose members undergo physical training and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and abilities. The series is positioned as a prequel to the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune, and Alison Schapker serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer.

This article is about the TV series. For the 2012 novel, see Sisterhood of Dune.
Dune: The Sisterhood
Genre
Created byDiane Ademu-John[1]
Based on
Starring
Music byVolker Bertelmann
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerKevin J. Anderson
Production locations
Production companiesCunning Hand
Annabelita Films
Legendary Television
Release
Original networkMax

Premise

Set 10,000 years before the events of the 1965 novel Dune, the series follows sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.[2]

Cast

Main
  • Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen[3]
  • Olivia Williams as Tula Harkonnen[4]
  • Jodhi May as Empress Natalya,[4] "a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino."[5]
  • Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez, "an independent young princess dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne."[6]
  • Shalom Brune-Franklin as Mikaela, "a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known."[6]
  • Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen, "a fierce, unpredictable acolyte in training at the Sisterhood School who rarely reveals her emotional core."[6]
  • Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline, "a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who carries fervent religion to her training at the Sisterhood."[6]
  • Chloe Lea as Lila, "the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School with a deep empathy beyond her years."[6]
  • Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart, "a charismatic soldier with an enigmatic past, who seeks to gain the Emperor’s trust at the expense of the Sisterhood."[2]
  • Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino, "a man from a great line of war-time Emperors, who is called upon to govern the Imperium and manage a fragile peace."[1]
  • Jade Anouka as Sister Theodosia, "a talented and ambitious acolyte at the Sisterhood who harbors a dangerous secret about her past."[1]
  • Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides, "a Swordmaster to a Great House whose ambition to live up to his family name is disrupted when he forms an unexpected connection to a member of the royal family."[1]

Recurring
  • Josh Heuston as Constantine Corrino, the illegitimate son of Javicco who is "torn between seeking his father’s approval and his own happiness."[7]
  • Edward Davis as Harrow Harkonnen, a "rising politician from a once-great family, who harbors a strong desire to elevate his House to its former glory."[7]

Production

A full series order of Dune: The Sisterhood was announced on June 10, 2019, produced by Legendary Television for WarnerMedia's streaming service[8][9] Max.[10][11] The series would focus on the Bene Gesserit order and serve as a prequel to the 2021 film Dune.[12] Denis Villeneuve would direct and produce the series' pilot with Jon Spaihts writing the screenplay, and both would serve as executive producers alongside Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Brian Herbert, the son of Frank Herbert.[13][14] Villeneuve said, "The Bene Gesserit have always been fascinating to me. Focusing a series around that powerful order of women seemed not only relevant and inspiring but a dynamic setting for the television series."[15]

Shortly after its announcement, the project received criticism for its lack of female creatives except for Frank Herbert's granddaughter, Kim Herbert.[16][17] Dana Calvo was hired in July 2019 to serve as showrunner alongside Spaihts.[18][19] In November 2019, Spaihts left the series to focus on the film's sequel.[20][21] The Hollywood Reporter reported that Legendary Television was "not happy" with Spaihts's early work as showrunner and opted to remove him.[20] Diane Ademu-John had been hired as the new showrunner by July 2021.[22][23] As production of Dune: Part Two progressed, Villeneuve was no longer able to direct, and Johan Renck replaced him as director for the first two episodes in April 2022.[24] Shortly after the start of production on the series began, it was announced that Diane Ademu-John had stepped down as co-showrunner but was staying on as executive producer, thus leaving Alison Schapker as sole showrunner.[25] Jónsi was hired to compose the show's score.[26]

In October, Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, Indira Varma, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, and Chloe Lea were cast to star in the series.[3][5][6] Travis Fimmel joined the cast the following month.[2][27] On December 1, 2022, Mark Strong, Jade Anouka, and Chris Mason joined the cast in starring roles.[1] Josh Heuston and Edward Davis would join in recurring roles later that month.[7]

The series was originally scheduled to start filming on November 2, 2020, in Budapest and Jordan.[28] It began production on November 22, 2022, with Renck confirming the start on his Instagram account.[29][30]

In February 2023, it was announced that production had been put on hiatus as Renck exited the project; Henderson also exited her role.[31] In June, Olivia Williams was cast to replace Henderson, with Jodhi May cast to replace Varma, who exited the series due to scheduling conflicts. Anna Foerster was set to direct multiple episodes of the series, including the pilot.[4] In July 2023, Deadline reported that production is set to resume in Budapest amidst the WGA and SAG strikes due to the series' talent working under the UK-based union Equity.[32] Hauschka was set to compose the score for the series by October.[33]

References
  1. Otterson, Joe (December 1, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Adds Mark Strong, Jade Anouka, Chris Mason". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  2. Otterson, Joe (November 8, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Casts Travis Fimmel". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. Otterson, Joe (October 4, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Casts Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson". Variety. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  4. Cordero, Rosy (June 30, 2023). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Olivia Williams & Jodhi May Join Max Series in Recastings as Anna Foerster Boards as New Director". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  5. Wiseman, Andreas (October 13, 2022). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Game of Thrones & Obi-Wan Star Indira Varma Joins HBO Max & Legendary Prequel Series as Empress Natalya". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  6. Petski, Denise (October 20, 2022). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Sarah-Sofie Boussnina Among 5 Cast in HBO Max Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  7. Otterson, Joe (December 13, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Adds Josh Heuston, Edward Davis". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  8. Silliman, Brian (June 10, 2019). "Dune Going Beyond Big Screen, Coming to Television with Dune: The Sisterhood". Syfy Wire. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  9. Andreeva, Nellie (June 10, 2019). "Dune: The Sisterhood Series Ordered By WarnerMedia Streaming Service With Denis Villeneuve Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  10. Spangler, Todd (July 9, 2019). "Friends to Leave Netflix for WarnerMedia's HBO Max Streaming Service in 2020". Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  11. Welch, Chris (July 9, 2019). "WarnerMedia confirms its Netflix rival will be called HBO Max". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  12. Eddy, Cheryl (June 10, 2019). "A Dune: The Sisterhood Series Is Coming From Denis Villeneuve and WarnerMedia's Streaming Service". io9. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  13. Otterson, Joe (June 10, 2019). "Dune Series Ordered at WarnerMedia Streaming Service, Denis Villeneuve to Direct". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  14. Goldberg, Lesley (June 10, 2019). "Dune: The Sisterhood TV Series a Go at WarnerMedia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  15. Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (June 10, 2019). "Dune: The Sisterhood series coming to WarnerMedia streaming service". CNet. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  16. Asher-Perrin, Emily (June 11, 2019). "Dune: The Sisterhood Series in the Works For WarnerMedia's New Streaming Service". Tor.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  17. Tarr, Judith (July 16, 2019). "The Story of Dune's Bene Gesserit Needs the Perspective of Women Writers". Tor.com. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  18. Petski, Denise (July 23, 2019). "Dana Calvo To Co-Run Dune: The Sisterhood Under New Overall Deal With Legendary TV Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  19. Schaefer, Sandy (July 23, 2019). "Dune: The Sisterhood Series Gets a Female Co-Showrunner". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  20. Goldberg, Lesley (November 5, 2019). "Dune: The Sisterhood Showrunner to Exit HBO Max Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  21. Sharf, Zack (November 5, 2019). "Denis Villeneuve's Dune Movie Sequel Takes Step Forward in Development". IndieWire. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  22. Otterson, Joe (July 22, 2021). "Dune HBO Max Series Enlists Diane Ademu-John as New Showrunner". Variety. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  23. July 22, 2021, Sam Barsanti (July 22, 2021). "Don't forget about HBO Max's Dune TV show, which now has Diane Ademu-John as showrunner". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  24. Otterson, Joe (April 27, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Taps Chernobyl Director Johan Renck to Helm First Two Episodes". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  25. Andreeva, Nellie (November 23, 2022). "Dune: The Sisterhood Creator Diane Ademu-John Steps Down as Co-Showrunner of HBO Max Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  26. "Jónsi". Representing Composers & Music Supervisors. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  27. Andreeva, Nellie (November 9, 2022). "Travis Fimmel To Star In Dune: The Sisterhood HBO Max Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  28. "Dune: The Sisterhood". productionlist.com. May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  29. McPherson, Christopher (November 22, 2022). "Dune Prequel Series The Sisterhood Begins Filming". Collider. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  30. Wiseman, Andreas (October 14, 2022). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Start Date & Location Confirmed for HBO Max & Legendary Prequel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  31. Cordero, Rosy; Andreeva, Nellie (February 28, 2023). "Dune: The Sisterhood: Director Johan Renck & Star Shirley Henderson Exit HBO Max Series Amid Creative Overhaul & Production Hiatus". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  32. Grobar, Matt (July 14, 2023). "Dune: The Sisterhood Soon to Resume Production in Hungary Following Winter Hiatus, Will Continue Throughout Strikes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  33. "Volker Bertelmann to Score Max's Dune: The Sisterhood". Film Music Reporter. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
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