Dune: The Sisterhood TV show is moving forward

Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi book, is officially a hit for Warner Bros. And because the movie only adapts the first half of Herbert’s book, there’s plenty of room for a sequel. Dune: Part Two will be coming along next year, and that’s not the only way the studio is looking to expand this franchise.

A while back, we heard that WarnerMedia was working on a spinoff TV show called Dune: The Sisterhood, to air on HBO Max. It’ll be about the Bene Gesserit, the quasi-religious order of women who exert political influence throughout the galaxy. In the movie, Lady Jessica is a member of the Bene Gesserit, although she goes a bit rogue when she has a son, Paul Atreides, rather than the daughter her Bene Gesserit masters command her to have. (Bene Gesserit can control that kind of thing; they have spooky powers.)

We haven’t heard about the show in a while, but Villeneuve confirmed to Deadline that it’s still around, even if he doesn’t have much to do with it. “The TV series is a work in progress, it’s moving forward,” he said.

Dune show on HBO Max is still moving forward

Jon Spaihts, who was tapped as the showrunner for Sisterhood before being assigned to work on Dune: Part II, gave more details to The Playlist. “Oh, that is carrying on and I’m not allowed to talk about it very much,” he said.

"But that effort is alive and well. I ended up getting moved off of it to work, not just on Dune: Part Two, but to investigate other cinematic prospects in the Dune universe, which we are still talking about and which, again, I’m not allowed to say very much about. But it is a very rich world in which to play, and I think it is ripe with opportunities for storytelling in every direction. They’re well down the road, but I honestly don’t know the details of the timing."

As for “other cinematic prospects in the Dune universe, Spaihts may be talking about a possible adaptation of Dune Messiah, the second book in Herbert’s series. It would follow naturally from Dune: Part Two.

Dune: Part Two will be “another beautiful journey in the desert”

But let’s enjoy that movie before we start thinking about the threequel. “It’s going to be another beautiful journey in the desert again,” Villeneuve told Deadline. “It’s the journey where Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica, make contact with the Fremen culture and meet with the Fremen. It’s Paul’s journey against the enemy. It’s a movie that will be more cinematic.”

The first Dune movie was already tremendously cinematic, so those are fighting words. Villeneuve is excited about one sequence in particular. “It involves sandworms that’s going to be one of the beautiful challenges of my life,” he told Variety. “And I know if I do it right, that will be the scene.”

I imagine book-readers know what he’s talking about. And if you don’t know, allow me to SPOIL it for you in four words: Paul rides a sandworm.

Will Florence Pugh be in Dune: Part Two? “Things are not solidified.”

Villeneuve also commented on the recent report that Florence Pugh may join the cast of Dune: Part Two as Princess Irulan, a key role. He didn’t deny it, but said that “things are not solidified.”

We’ll also see a lot more of Zendaya as the Fremen warrior Chani in Part Two. “For Zendaya, I will say Part One was a promise,” Villeneuve said. “I know that we saw a glimpse of her in Part One, but in Part Two, she’ll have a prominent part. We will follow Timothée [Chalamet] and Zendaya on their adventures in the desert. That’s the thing that excited me most about going back to Arrakis is to spend time with those characters again.”

Dune: Part Two is set to come out on October 20, 2023. And we’ll find out whether the first movie wins any Oscars when the award ceremony airs this Sunday.

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