The sisterhood is growing again. Olivia Williams (The Nevers) and Jodhi May (The Witcher) have joined the cast of the TV series tentatively titled Dune: The Sisterhood, a Max spinoff of the latest Dune films.
The two actors are taking over for Shirley Henderson (Tom Jones) and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), who previously exited the project, Variety reports. Williams is succeeding Henderson as Tula Harkonnen, while May has replaced Varma in the role of Empress Natalya.
Based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s novel Sisterhood of Dune and set 10,000 years before the events of 2019’s Dune, the series follows the Harkonnen sisters as they combat humanity-threatening forces and establish the mysterious Bene Gesserit order, Variety adds.
The series has had a tumultuous development so far. In November 2022, series creator and writer Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor) stepped down as co-showrunner, living Alison Schapker (Westworld) as the series’ sole showrunner, though Ademu-John did stay on as executive producer.
Then, this February, as production on Dune: The Sisterhood took what Max called a “pre-scheduled hiatus,” Henderson exited the series along with director Johan Renck (Chernobyl).
“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,” a Max representative said in a statement. “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.”
Since then, the show has gained Anna Foerster (Lou) as a director, but Varma departed the project because of scheduling conflicts, according to Variety.
With Max and Legendary Television behind the production, Dune: The Sisterhood boasts Foerster, Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, Mark Tobey, Jordan Goldberg, Byron Merritt, Brian Herbert, Kim Herbert, and Dune director Denis Villeneuve as executive producers, while Anderson serves as a co-producer.
Dune: The Sisterhood, TBD, Max
