Dune is expanding further into small screen territory with a new HBO Max series, Dune: The Sisterhood.
Like Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and its upcoming sequel, Dune Part 2, the project is based on Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel – but set thousands of years before Paul Atreides sets foot in Arrakis.
With an intriguing premise centring on a secret organisation of women – which goes on to becomes the powerful Bene Gesserit order – and a notable cast attached, the prequel promises to broaden Herbert’s world.
But when will it arrive and who’s in it? Read on to find out everything you need to know about Dune: The Sisterhood.
Dune: The Sisterhood release date speculation
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No official release yet has been announced for the HBO Max series, which is currently in pre-production as casting gets under way.
Dune Part 2 is set to land in November 2023. Should production for Dune: The Sisterhood begin by the end of the year, it’s possible it could arrive around the same time, but we’ll update this page as soon as a release date is confirmed.
As HBO Max is not currently available in the UK, it’s unclear at this stage whether the series will air via Sky and NOW, and follow the release model of the likes of House of the Dragon and Succession.
Dune: The Sisterhood cast
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Chernobyl’s Emily Watson and Harry Potter star Shirley Henderson will be leading the Dune: The Sisterhood cast. The pair will play sisters Valya Harkonnen (Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Henderson), a pair of formidable sisters who will help bring about the creation of the incredibly powerful, and delightfully creepy, Bene Gesserit order.
Further casting has yet to be announced, but don’t expect to see any of the Dune cast appear, as the prequel is set 10,000 years before the events depicted in the films. Director Denis Villeneuve serves as executive producer for the series, which is penned by Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor), who will also co-showrun it.
What is the Dune: The Sisterhood plot?
We don’t know too much about the Dune prequel’s plot, but we do know it’s set 10,000 years before the events in Herbert’s novel. That means the series could depict the Butlerian Jihad, the war between humans and Thinking Machines.
Though Herbert frequently mentions the conflict, it was his son Brian who expanded on it with a series of novels co-written with Kevin J Anderson, including Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. It’s unclear at this stage whether the HBO Max series will draw on the content of Herbert and Anderson’s books, as well as Dune.
Deadline reports the series will focus on the beginnings of the Bene Gesserit – the organisation to which Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, aka the creepy box lady in the films, belongs. Paul’s mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is also a Bene Gesserit.
The secret organisation of sorceresses rose to power in the aftermath of the Butlerian Jihad, and consists of women who are trained in The Voice (essentially mind control) and have great political influence across the Dune universe.
Is there a Dune: The Sisterhood trailer?
Not yet, but we’ll share it as soon as it drops.
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