HBO Max’s Dune prequel series, Dune: The Sisterhood, just lost its director Johan Renck and actress Shirley Henderson. The production hasn’t had the smoothest ride. Ever since it was announced that Legendary Television and WarnerMedia would work on a spin-off series based on the film by Denis Villeneuve, they have hit some (several) bumps along the way.
Initially, Jon Spaihts was set to be the show’s showrunner with Dana Calvo. But not long after, it was reported that Legendary wasn’t happy with Spaihts work. He was replaced by Diane Ademu-John. Last year, she also left the project. Only Alison Schapker remained as Dune: The Sisterhood’s showrunner.
Denis Villeneuve himself initially planned to direct one episode for the show. That didn’t happen because he was making Dune: Part Two, and they hired Johan Renck to direct.
Dune: The Sisterhood Loses Its Director And Lead Star
READ MORE: Dune: Part 2 Gets Delayed Again
A report from IndieWire has informed us that both the director Johan Renck and lead star Shirley Henderson have left the project.
An HBO Max spokesperson has said:
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. 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.
Johan Renck was only contracted to work on two episodes. He took over the directorial role after Denis Villeneuve had to focus on the Dune sequel. Villeneuve still is the producer of the spin-off series.
Credit: Tor Books
Filming of the series started back in November 2022. So, it’s most likely that Renck did finish his work on the series, if not, they were close to it. They were already a few months into production. Unfortunately, the news also included a two-hit combo of surprising details.
The creative changes will likely affect the entire production, meaning that they need to reshoot most of what they have already done. Also, the second devastating news is that one of the leads, Shirley Henderson, left the project. Her part in the series plays a significant role. So, this will likely derail the project.
Dune: The Sisterhood is supposed to be released close to the release date of Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. But with the recent delay, I’m not so sure if they’ll still be able to pull it off. That is just months away. It all depends on whether they can find a new director and actress very soon.
The Dune Prequel is on hiatus
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
READ MORE: Dune Review
Dune: The Sisterhood is based on the book Sisterhood of Dune written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. It is a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of the original Dune, written by Frank Herbert. The book follows the story of two Harkonnen sisters, Valya and Tula, and the establishment of the Bene Gesserit Order.
Currently, Renck is working on two projects already with the TV series The Day of the Triffids and the movie Spaceman. Renck is known for working on HBO’s highly acclaimed Chernobyl series.
While Henderson has already completed the series The Trouble with Jessica. She is also the voice of the Anzellian race in the Star Wars franchise, which was featured in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and, more recently, The Mandalorian.
Hopefully, Legendary will find a new director for the series and a new actress to play Tula Harkonnen.
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