Dune prequel series, Dune: The Sisterhood is going through a mild creative shake-up — show's creator, Diane Ademu-John is vacating her role as co-showrunner according to a report from Deadline. This now leaves veteran TV writer-producer Alison Schapker as the sole showrunner of the series. It isn't an entire exit from Ademu-John though as she will continue to contribute to the show's creative direction in the capacity of an executive producer. The update seems to give no reason to fret as it seems her exit was not due to creative differences but was made in order to give her some more time to focus on her future projects.
The news follows hot on the heels of the announcement that filming for the prequel series is currently in progress in Budapest, Hungary. Johan Renck the man behind the cameras for the first and second episodes took to his Instagram account to announce the exciting news to fans sharing: "On this day, we commence filming Dune: The Sisterhood for HBO Max. Through machinations taking place millennia before the story you all know, we descend into the coven that one day shall be named the Bene Gesserit." The director equally posted a photo of the Frank Herbert novel from which the series is adapted.
The prequel series is set 10,000 years before the events in the critically acclaimed original movie. The Sisterhood will follow the titular Harkonnen Sisters who would come to be behind the mysterious sect known as Bene Gesserit. As they gain mastery of their minds and bodies, these powerful women come to wield supernatural powers which they use to fend off dark forces that pose great threats to human existence. The show will also explore them on the path of chasing their individual interests.
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Up next for Ademu-John is the AppleTV anthology drama series, Extrapolations where she is part of the writing team. The show yet without a release date is set to depict the adverse effects of climate change on the planet told through a series of interwoven plots. The ensemble cast for the show includes Meryl Streep, Kit Harington, and Forest Whitaker among others. Some of Ademu-John's previous writing credits include The Originals, Empire, and Medium.
Dune: The Sisterhood will star Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, and Travis Fimmel in the lead roles with Indira Varma, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, and Chloe Lea rounding out the cast in supporting roles. The screenplay for the series is provided by Jon Spaihts who also contributed to the original film. Ademu-John is joined in the executive producing department by Denis Villeneuve who directed, produced, and co-wrote the original film, as well as Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, and Cait Collins. Brian Herbert the son of the book's author is also producing alongside Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert with author Kevin J. Anderson co-producing.
A release date for The Sisterhood is yet to be set however HBO is eyeing a premiere by November 2023 to coincide with the theatrical release of the sequel also currently filming. The original film which was released in 2021 and earned six Oscar nods is available to stream on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below: