Earlier today, a new trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was released, with this cinematic take on the classic Frank Herbert novel adapting just the first half of the story rather than the entire thing. Assuming things go according to plan, Warner Bros will eventually green light Dune 2 to adapt the second half, but while we wait to see how that first movie does, there’s some good news about another Dune project in the works. Dune: The Sisterhood, the HBO Max series announced two years ago, is finally moving forward thanks to a key hire finally being made.
Diane Ademu-John, who was an executive producer and writer on the Netflix series The Haunting of Bly Manor, and has also worked on shows like The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Empire and Crossing Jordan, has been hired as Dune: The Sisterhood’s showrunner. She takes the place of Jon Spaihts, who co-wrote the new Dune movie and left Dune: The Sisterhood back in November 2019 to focus on writing Dune 2, though he’s still attached as an executive producer. As reported by Variety, Ademu-John will also executive produce, as well as write for the HBO Max series.
Announced in June 2019, a little under a year before HBO Max launched, Dune: The Sisterhood is a prequel to the new Dune movie that focuses on the Bene Gesserit, the organization of women who train their bodies and minds to obtain special abilities. Their goal is to use their powers to lead humanity on an enlightened path, and they hold no true allegiance to any one group or individual. Two of Dune’s main characters, Lady Jessica and Gaius Helen Mohiam, are members of the Bene Gesserit, but because it hasn’t been announced yet where Dune: The Sisterhood rests on the Dune timeline, it’s unclear if younger versions of them will appear in the show.
Along with Diane Ademu-John and Jon Spaihts, Dune: The Sisterhood’s behind-the-scenes talent includes Denis Villeneuve, who will direct the pilot and executive produce alongside Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert from the Frank Herbert estate. Kevin J. Anderson, who’s co-wrote many Dune stories with Brian Herbert since the late 1990s, will co-produce the series that comes from Legendary Television.
There’s no word yet on when Dune: The Sisterhood will begin production or which actors are being looked at to lead the series, but Diane Ademu-John being hired as the new showrunner is definitely an important step to finally bringing this project to life. This is one of several high-profile HBO Max shows that are on the way in the coming years, with others including Peacemaker, Green Lantern, The Batman’s GCPD tie-in series, Overlook and DMZ.
In the meantime, Dune fans only have three more months to go until Denis Villeneuve’s movie hits both theaters and HBO Max. Originally the plan was for Dune to be released in December 2020, but as result of the pandemic, Warner Bros it back to October 1, 2021. Now it’s nestled on October 22 in order to avoid competition with the next James Bond movie, No Time to Die. Dune’s cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Zendaya and Dave Bautista, among others.
Once more concrete details about Dune: The Sisterhood are announced, we’ll let you know. As far as more current programming goes, find out what’s arriving in the coming months with our fall 2021 TV premiere schedule.
