After several years of development, production on the upcoming HBO Max series, Dune: The Sisterhood, is starting to gear up as Deadline reports that the spinoff prequel series is expected to begin filming in Budapest, Hungary, next month. Production on the series will concur simultaneously with Dune: Part Two, the next installment of the franchise.

The report comes fresh off the announcement that Indira Varma, who recently starred in Obi-Wan Kenobi, has joined the series as Empress Natalya. Alongside Varma, Emily Watson (Chernobyl) will also star in the series alongside Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as Valya and Tula Harkonnen, respectively. Diane Ademu-John, the series creator, also serves as the show's co-showrunner and writer. Ademu-John also serves as an executive producer for the project alongside co-showrunner Alison Schapker. Johan Renck, who has previously directed shows such as Chernobyl and Breaking Bad, will helm the series.

While specific details of the upcoming series remain under wraps, it will be based on Sisterhood Of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The show will reportedly be set 10,000 years before the events of the Dune and focus on the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten humanity's future and the origins of the Bene Gesserit order. Since the series is set 10,000 years before the events of the first film, the upcoming show has the potential to further expand the highly-detailed and rich universe of the franchise in a way never depicted on screen before. With a compelling premise bolstered by a set of talented actors, Dune: The Sisterhood ​​​​​is shaping up to be an exciting series for fans of the Dune universe to look out for when it debuts on HBO Max.

Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, Timothee Chalamet, and Rebecca Ferguson on a cropped promotional photo for Dune
Image via Warner Bros. 

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Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Dune was released in both theaters and HBO Max in October 2021 to critical acclaim with praise directed at its epic sense of scale, performances, and worldbuilding that honored the source material. The film was later nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and ultimately won six. A sequel, titled Dune: Part Two, is currently underway and will be released in theaters on November 3, 2023. With a sequel in the works alongside a television series focusing on the Bene Gesserit order, it appears that the beloved universe created by Frank Herbert has a long future ahead on screen.

Denis Villeneuve, who directs the first two installments of the franchise, executive produces Dune: The Sisterhood with JonSpaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, and Cait Collins. Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert also executive produce the series, with Anderson serving as a co-producer. HBO Max and Legendary Television will produce the series.

No official release date for Dune: The Sisterhood has been set yet. Check out the official trailer for Dune, the first film in the series, below.