Warner Bros. and HBO Max’s upcoming Dune prequel series The Sisterhood isn’t having the smoothest of journeys; it already lost co-showrunner Diane Ademu-John in the run up to production starting back in November, and now the streamer has announced that the project is going on a temporary hiatus, where it will undergo a creative shift.
“As Dune: The Sisterhood 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,” reads a statement from HBO Max to Deadline. “[Director] 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.”
According to Deadline, Renck was attached to direct the first two episodes of the series, having signed on to replace Denis Villeneueve and allow the filmmaker to keep his focus on Dune: Part Two. However, according to the trade’s sources, Renck’s “auteur approach did not jibe with the streamer’s vision for the series and was a departure from the look of Villeneuve’s films.”
It’s unclear what led to Shirley Henderson’s departure, although the site notes that the production hiatus and search for a new director and star is wreaking havoc with the schedules of the rest of the cast and could potentially lead to more departures. Also starring in the series – for now – are Emily Watson, Indira Varma, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, Chloe Lea and Travis Fimmel.
While the news is sure to be concerning to Dune fans, the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery hasn’t just pulled the plug amid its spending cutbacks must mean that the studio is high on the project, although it’s probably going to be a while after December’s Dune: Part Two that we finally get to see it.
