Dune Prequel Series Suffers Another Major Creative Setback

Despite finally appearing to get off the ground late last year, HBO Max’s long in-development Dune: The Sisterhood now faces two major exits.

The long in-development prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood has suffered its latest creative setback as two major figures exit. Well before Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed Dune hit theaters in 2021, Warner Bros. was hard at work developing a proper cinematic universe centered around author Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi world. Dune: The Sisterhood was first ordered to series at the then-unnamed HBO Max back in 2019, and in the ensuing years, would struggle to properly get off the ground. Now, even with production getting underway, Dune: The Sisterhood is facing another obstacle.

Per Deadline, director Johan Renck (Chernobyl) has left the production after initially signing on for the first two episodes. Even more pressing, lead star Shirley Henderson, who was slated to play Tula Harkonnen, has exited the series. As a result, production on Dune: The Sisterhood has been put on hold as a replacement for Renck is found and Tula is recast. This follows the additional change of co-showrunner Diane Ademu-John stepping down ahead of filming, and Alison Schapker becoming the only showrunner. HBO Max said in a statement:

“As Dune: The Sisterhood (wt) has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, there are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material. Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement, Johan is moving on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Shirley Henderson will be exiting the series and will no longer be playing Tula Harkonnen.”

Related: Why Dune 3 Is Even More Important Than Part 2

Dune: The Sisterhood’s Creative Setbacks Explained

According to further sources, Ademu-John’s position change ahead of Dune: The Sisterhood starting production put pressure on Schapker to pull together extensive rewrites. Renck reportedly departed because his directorial style did not match HBO Max’s vision for the show, and it remains unclear as to why Henderson left. There are conflicting reports over Dune: The Sisterhood‘s current filming delay; some say it was always scheduled to take a break now, while other sources suggest it has been pushed back by seven months to give Schapker time to properly rework the series.

These fresh obstacles come after Dune: The Sisterhood has already experienced significant creative changeover. Villeneuve was expected to direct the pilot, while Jon Spaihts (who co-wrote Dune the movie) would co-write the series and co-showrun alongside Dana Calvo. However, both would eventually move away from those duties; Spaihts’ exit as co-showrunner paved the way for Ademu-John’s hiring in 2021. Dune: The Sisterhood appeared to make significant progress last year with the casting of several key roles; actors such as Emily Watson, Indira Varma, and Mark Strong remain attached.

With Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two scheduled for release this November, it is now clear that another movie will come and go without much progress on its ambitious prequel series. Dune: The Sisterhood aims to tell the story behind the creation of the Bene Gesserit. As the first Dune was a success for Warner Bros., it seems likely the studio is still interested in pursuing projects within its universe. However, as the uncertainty regarding HBO Max and its original slate continues, there could be bigger problems ahead for Dune: The Sisterhood if it does not get off the ground soon.

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Source: Deadline