The Dune universe began last year with the first installment in the expanding franchise from Denis Villeneuve. Dune was a massive hit with an ensemble cast of Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Stellan Skarsgård. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, walking away with six awards and $400 million at the box office.
Now, audiences will be taken back 10,000 years before the events of Dune in an upcoming spinoff from HBO Max. Dune: The Sisterhood is set to begin filming next month in Budapest, Hungary, according to reports from Deadline. The forthcoming sequel to the feature film, Dune: Part Two is shooting alongside The Sisterhood, with Villeneuve recently returning to Origo Studios, where the majority of the first movie was shot.
The series will follow the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect known as Bene Gesserit, according to Deadline's report. The show is adapted from the novel Sisterhood Of Dune by authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Villeneuve, who previously worked on Arrival and Prisoners, will act as an executive producer. Diane Ademu-John is the creator, writer, co-showrunner and will also serve as an EP on the project. Johan Renck, director of several episodes of Breaking Bad, Chernobyl, and The Walking Dead, will helm the first episode of Dune: The Sisterhood. Given the 2023 release date for Dune: Part Two, fans should expect the HBO Max series to arrive sometime around then.
Dune: The Sisterhood Adds Indira Varma to the Cast
Details surrounding Dune: The Sisterhood and its cast have been scarce up to this point, however, a few members of the series have been announced. Earlier this year, Emily Watson (Chernobyl, Gosford Park) and Shirley Henderson (Star Wars, Harry Potter) joined the project, and Deadline recently announced the latest casting.
Indira Varma is joining Dune: The Sisterhood, with Deadline saying she will play Empress Natalya, described as "a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino." Varma previously had a recurring role in HBO's Game of Thrones, playing Ellaria Sand from 2014-2017. Recently, the actress appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+, playing Tala Durith.
First, Varma will star in Extrapolations for Apple TV+ with Ed Norton and Michael Gandolfini. She will also appear in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part One when it arrives in 2023, marking the seventh installment in the long-running franchise. Fans can't wait to finally jump back onto the planet of Arrakis when Dune: Part Two arrives on November 3, 2023, with Dune: The Sisterhood expected to premiere sometime in 2023.