It seems HBO Max’s upcoming series Dune: The Sisterhood, a televised spin-off of Denis Villeneuve’s anticipated adaptation of Dune, has hit a bit of a snag. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jon Spaihts will no longer be the series’ showrunner so he can focus on working on the sequel to the Dune feature film, which he co-wrote alongside Villeneuve.
Dune: The Sisterhood was picked up as a series this past June with Spaihts producing and showrunning. THR states Spaihts had completed a draft of the show’s script along with a revised outline for the series, but Legendary TV, which also produces it, was unhappy with what Spaihts had written. They decided to remove him so he could focus on writing the script for the Dune sequel, which has not been formally greenlit or announced though Villeneuve has expressed his desire to split Frank Herbert’s novel into two films, which was seemingly confirmed by Legendary’s CEO. Legendary TV is now searching for a new showrunner for The Sisterhood.
The series will focus on an enigmatic order of women called the Bene Gesserit with the ability to control every aspect of their own bodies, as well compel others to obey them. While the order seems monastic in structure (they follow a leader called The Reverend Mother Superior), the group is also deeply involved in the plotting and politics of the wider Dune ecosystem.
Dune will be released December 18th 2020 and sees Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) leading the cast as Paul Atreides alongside Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Dave Bautista (Avengers: Infinity War), Stellan Skarsgard (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), Charlotte Rampling (Red Sparrow), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Javier Bardem (Loving Pablo), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Stephen Henderson (Fences), and Chang Chen (The Assassin).