Dune: The Sisterhood is an upcoming new HBO Max series, and it’s meant to be a prequel to Denis Villenueve’s acclaimed sci-fi epic, Dune. Based on the 1965 novel of the same name by author Frank Herbert, the story of Dune is notoriously dense, convoluted, and difficult to translate onscreen. Among other factors, the success of the Dune reboot will depend on how well the new content fleshes out the source material’s complex characters and highly dense lore, which is exactly the purpose of Dune: The Sisterhood.
While Herbert’s books have a long history of being adapted for different media, there have only been two shows to take inspiration from Dune. These are Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000) and Children of Dune (2003), both of which were produced and developed by the Sci-Fi Channel into moderately successful standalone screen adaptations of the books. Created as an accompanying piece to the new Dune film, Dune: The Sisterhood won’t be based on any specific book.
Rather, the new HBO Max series aims to shed light on the mysteries of the Bene Gesserit, one of the major character factions in Dune. With the film receiving general acclaim from critics after a successful theatrical and streaming release in October, anticipation is understandably high around further additions to the burgeoning Dune universe. Here's what audiences can expect from the upcoming Dune: The Sisterhood series and other possible spin-offs.
Dune: The Sisterhood Cast: Will Movie Actors Appear?
There’s been no announcements regarding the cast of Dune: The Sisterhood – let alone whether or not any of the actors from the film will also appear in the series. But with actors Rebecca Ferguson and Charlotte Rampling respectively taking on the roles of Lady Jessica and Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam in the film – both sisters of the Bene Gesserit – they might appear in the series as well. And considering that Villeneuve is reportedly directing the pilot, they might not be the only ones in the Dune cast to be featured in Dune: The Sisterhood. As for the rest of the series, Empire and The Vampire Diaries producer Diane Ademu-John will be taking on show-running duties.
Dune: The Sisterhood Story Details: Bene Gesserit Explained
The confirmed details about Dune: The Sisterhood are scarce so far. In fact, Denis Villeneuve has revealed more about his planned Dune sequel than the upcoming series, however, what’s certain is that the prequel will tackle the Bene Gesserit as imagined by Villenueve’s reboot, which the director promises to be faithful to the source material. In Frank Herbert’s books, the Bene Gesserit are a secretive organization of women who have mastered the physical and mental limits of the human body. The sisters of the Bene Gesserit are highly skilled in martial arts and are masters of social dynamics and manipulation, allowing them to control the lineages of noble houses in the galaxy. Through the so-called "Missionaria Protectiva", the Bene Gesserit have implanted religions and mythologies across different planets as a way of enforcing control. On the desert planet of Dune, also known as Arrakis, the ancient inter-generational schemes of the Bene Gesserit come to an intense conclusion. As the prequel to the events in the film, Dune: The Sisterhood will presumably dive deeper into these plans, how they came to be, and the overall goals of the sisters of the Bene Gesserit.
Dune: The Sisterhood Predicted Release Date
Currently, there’s still no word on when the pilot episode of Dune: The Sisterhood will be released. However, the series’ IMDb page shows that it’s categorized under 2022. While there’s no way to tell for sure when the release will happen, it would be in the best interests of the studio to release Dune: The Sisterhood as soon as possible, given the buzz around Dune post-release. What’s certain is just like the new Dune film, Dune: The Sisterhood will be released on HBO Max.
