Warner’s new sci-fi franchise—Dune—is seemingly their next big bet after conquering the fantasy side of things with their various Thrones, Wizard World, and Lord of the Rings projects. Based on the series of famous Frank Herbert novels, and adapted to acclaim by Denis Villeneuve in a 2021 movie based on the original 1965 novel, is getting not only a sequel to continue the story of Paul Atreides, but a spinoff series, Dune: The Sisterhood about the founding of the order that would one day include Paul’s mother, Jessica.
Now, via his Instagram account, director Johan Renck (Chernobyl), is confirming the commencement of the filming of the series, commemorating it with a picture of the cover of Dune as it was first published and quoting the famous line, "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration." Word is that Mark Strong, he of the go-to British villain acting class, is joining the series as well as indicated by being tagged alongside the other previously announced series’ cast.
Dune: The Sisterhood is set roughly 10,000 years before Dune, when the galaxy was in rougher shape, and two sisters (played by Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson) of House Harkonnen, the villains who will one day control Arrakis until it’s given to the Atreides family and they wage war on them to take control of it back, as they form the foundations of the order of space-witches audiences know as the Bene Gesserit. Strong joining the cast (with an official announcement expected soon) shows just how far ranging and excellent the material must be. Word isn’t out on who exactly he’ll be playing.
Denis Villeneuve was set to direct the pilot of the series being produced by Legendary Television (Legendary Entertainment is producing the films), but his commitments to the film side of the Dune franchise meant that showrunner and writer Alison Shapker had to look elsewhere for a director to helm the series. Fresh off of HBO Max’s Chernobyl came Renck and things were good to go. A few more casting announcements followed, such as Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Travis Fimmel (Vikings), alongside the previously mentioned Watson, Henderson, and Strong, and now production has officially, as of the 22nd of November, began.
Digging into the Dune lore should be easy for the showrunners who have now only Frank Herbert’s original novels to go by, but those of his son Brian Herbert and co-writer Kevin J. Anderson who turned Frank’s original notes into a whole other series of universe expanding books. Dune: The Sisterhood will get to go into the whole mystical side of the Dune universe with the foundational story of the Bene Gesserit. The witches, who put themselves through exhausting physical and mental training to achieve their powers, and who in turn began to have prophecies they work behind the scenes of the galaxy to ensure come to pass, make the show’s concept as politically intriguing as it will be darkly magical.
Filming is underway on Dune: The Sisterhood. There is no release date as of yet.