Dune: The Sisterhood is a spin-off and prequel TV series from 2021’s critically and commercially successful Dune. In the works for HBO, here is everything we know about it so far.

The first Dune movie, even though it covered only half of the first book of the series, was met with rave reviews. Everything was great about the movie, including its cast, visual effects, and pacing, so it is not unusual that audiences responded positively to it. So while we wait for the sequel, there is more good news for the Dune fans with the spin-off sequel tv show Dune: The Sisterhood.

It seems to be an intriguing show about the establishment of Bene Gesserit, the key all-female social, religious, and political force from the books of Dune by Frank Herbert. Sometimes called witches because of their secretive ways and misunderstood powers, being loyal only to themselves and their goals, they put their bodies and minds through years of intense training in order to achieve superhuman abilities.

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Soon we will have a show to witness their stories, and if we take into consideration the way the Dune movie turned out, we can be fairly optimistic about it.

Dune: The Sisterhood: The Plot

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The story takes place 10.000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides. In this complex and interesting series, we follow the Harkonnen Sisters and their rise to power in the sisterhood, establishing the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.

Dune: The Sisterhood: Cast and Crew

The movie has an almost all-female cast of great actors. Emily Watson, twice nominated for an Academy Award, among many others, for best actress with her debut film in Lars von Trier’s Breaking Waves in 1996 and Anand Tucker’s Hilary and Jackie in 1998, plays the role of Valya Harkonnen. Shirley Henderson, whose extensive body of work contains roles in the Harry Potter movies as Moaning Myrtle, in both Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting, and many more, enacts Tula Harkonnen.

Indira Varma, previously enjoyed in Game of Thrones as Ellaria Sand and Netflix’s Paranoid, plays the part of Empress Natalya. Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, known internationally for her roles in the tv series The Bridge and 1864, plays Princess Ynez. Shalom Brune Franklin, previously appearing in the show Our Girl on BBC, plays the role of Mikaela. Faoileann Cunningham, who appeared in 2022’s The Northman by Robert Eggers, plays sister Jen. Aoife Hinds, after her appearance in the most recent Hellraiser movie as Nora, is now Sister Emeline. Chloe Lea, who earned a BAFTA for Young Performer in 2018, plays the part of Lila. Finally, popular for his part as Ragnar Lothbrok in History’s Vikings, Travis Fimmel will play Desmond Hart.

The series was announced on June 10, 2019, by Legendary Television for HBO Max. Denis Villeneuve, writer, producer, and director of 2021’s Dune, will direct and produce the series’ pilot with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts. Both serve as producers alongside Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Brian Herbert, the son of Frank Herbert, the original author of the book series.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Villeneuve explained:

The project received some criticism for the lack of female creatives besides Kim Herbert, the granddaughter of Frank Herbet, shortly after its announcement. In July 2019, Dana Calvo was hired as showrunner alongside Spaihts. Later that year, in November, Spaihts left the project to focus on the sequel of the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary Television was ‘’not happy’’ with Spaiht’s work as a showrunner and wanted to remove him. By July 2021, Diane Ademu-John was hired as a new showrunner.

Because of his obligations on Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve was unable to direct, so he got replaced by Johan Renck to direct the first two episodes. A little after the beginning of the production, Diane Ademu-John stepped down from her role as a co-showrunner, but she did not leave the project altogether; she stayed on creatively as executive producer.

Release Date

The show will be a part of HBO Max, but we do not yet have an official release date. The show began production on November 22, 2022, after a slight delay since, initially, it was supposed to start on November 2.

The first Dune movie was a breath of fresh air for science fiction fans, taking itself seriously and not joking every two minutes, even though it had some weird-looking spaceships and a magic system. The Dune: The Sisterhood seems fascinating, and we can not wait to watch it. One more chance to see stories taking place in the world of Dune; what’s not to love about it?