Dune Prequel Series at HBO Max Gets a Director for First Two Episodes

In a move that will satisfy eager Dune fans, Legendary has announced that Primetime Emmy winner Johan Renck will helm the first two episodes of the prequel TV series Dune: The Sisterhood, which is in the works for HBO Max. They confirmed the news in a tweet, writing: “We’re excited to announce that Johan Renck will be directing the first 2 episodes of Legendary’s Dune: The Sisterhood series. From showrunner Diane Ademu-John the series will stream on.” Variety reports that Dune director Denis Villeneuve was originally slated to helm the pilot episode but his schedule working on Dune: Part Two has prevented that. 

Renck’s two Emmy wins come from the HBO original series Chernobyl, which he won for Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special. His other credits include Bloodline, Vikings, and Breaking Bad. Diane Ademu-John’s previous credits include The Haunting of Bly Manor, Empire, and The Originals. 

“That is carrying on and I’m not allowed to talk about it very much,” Dune co-writer and executive produer John Spaihts said during an interview with The Playlist. “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.”

Dune: The Sisterhood has been previously described as being “told through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune. It will serve as a prequel to the films.”  

Pre-production on Dune: Part Two has already begun with a release date for the sequel already set for October of 2023. It’s unclear at what point The Sisterhood will premiere but arriving after the next movie could give the franchise plenty of breathing room before its next chapter, which could be an adaptation of Dune: Messiah.