Dune: The Sisterhood: Emily Watson And Shirley Henderson Will Star In The HBO Max Series
After what felt like ages since we last heard about this series, we finally have our two leads for "Dune: The Sisterhood." The prequel series to Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of "Dune" will star Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson, with them portraying Valya and Tula Harkonnen respectively.
If those names sound familiar to you, then you likely know your "Dune" lore. However, for newbies who were introduced to Frank Herbert's world through last year's film, here's a brief rundown. Valya and Tula are sisters who end up becoming a part of an underground organization called the Sisterhood of Rossak. First introduced in the 2012 novel "Sisterhood of Dune" by Herbert's son Brian Herbert, this organization would eventually evolve into the Bene Gesserit, which featured prominently in the original "Dune" novels as well as Villeneuve's adaptation.
Fear is the mind-killer
Given how long it has been since we received news on this series, we wouldn't blame you if you thought it was among the many projects canceled by Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year. Some of us here at /Film thought the same! Thankfully, this certainly doesn't look to be the case, especially with Watson and Henderson slated to star.
Diane Ademu-John, who helped write and produce episodes of "The Haunting of Bly Manor" and "Medium," will serve as the series showrunner. Villeneuve will serve as an executive producer as he films the upcoming sequel "Dune: Part Two." The aforementioned Brian Herbert and his daughter Kim will also produce alongside Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Cait Collins, John Cameron, Matthew King, and Byron Merritt.
Not much is known about the series and whether it will be a faithful adaptation of "Sisterhood of Dune." However, Variety reports that the official logline says it will follow "the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit." What these forces are, though, and whether they will be any different from the anti-computer extremists from 2012 still remains to be seen.
"Dune: The Sisterhood" does not yet have a tentative release date, but "Dune: Part Two" is expected to arrive in theaters on November 17, 2023.