Actress Shirley Henderson and director Johan Renck are the latest people to leave the Dune: The Sisterhood project, in what an HBO Max spokesperson blamed on “creative changes” in the prequel series.
Henderson and Renck’s departure from the project comes months after creator Diane Ademu-John left the popular franchise’s prequel series as showrunner in October.
An HBO Max spokesperson said Deadline that as the series ‘has gone into a pre-scheduled hiatus’, which had been scheduled to avoid filming over the winter, ‘some creative changes are being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material.’
The network said that Renck “has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on board” and that “through mutual agreement, Johan will continue with other projects.”
Henderson “will be retiring from the series and will no longer play Tula Harkonnen,” the network said.
The Latest: Actress Shirley Henderson and director Johan Renck are the latest people to leave the Dune: The Sisterhood project, in what an HBO Max spokesperson blamed on “creative changes” in the prequel series.
Renck, who won a pair of Emmys for his efforts on the HBO limited series Chernobyl, was slated to direct the initial two episodes of Dune: The Sisterhood and to executive produce the pilot.
The Swedish filmmaker, 56, said in a since-deleted Instagram post in November that production on the project had begun in Budapest, the outlet reported.
Renck’s auteur direction clashed with what HBO had in mind for the project, as the streaming service didn’t want to deviate from the overall tone of Dune director Denis Villeneuve’s work.
It was not immediately clear if any of the material shot by Renck will be used in the finished product.
The outlet noted that when Ademu-John (who is still executive producing the prequel) left the series last fall, it had a major impact on production, as remaining showrunner Alison Schapker had to retool the project on the fly. amid significant rewrites of the material.
Ademu-John in 2021 replaced former co-showrunner Jon Spaihts, who left the job to write the script for the movie Dune: Part Two in 2019.
The network announced Henderson’s casting last October along with the news that Emily Watson would play Valya Harkonnen, Deadline reported at the time.
The show will take place 10,000 years before the events depicted in Frank Herbert’s epic 1964 novel Dune.
Starring: The network announced Henderson’s casting last October along with the news that Emily Watson would play Valya Harkonnen; Watson seen on September 22 in New York
10,000 Years – The show will take place 10,000 years before the events depicted in Frank Herbert’s epic 1964 novel Dune.
Order: HBO Max placed a direct-to-series order for Dune: The Sisterhood in June 2019, though development was significantly altered during the COVID-19 pandemic
The show will follow Valya and Tula, who have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of powerful women. The series is expected to chart their rise to power as they “battle forces that threaten the future of humanity and establish the legendary sect known as the Bene Gesserit.”
The Bene Gesserit are a group of women “whose extraordinary mastery of body and mind enables them to expertly navigate feudal politics and the intrigues of the Empire.”
Dune: The Sisterhood is based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert (son of original Dune author Frank Herbert) and Kevin J. Anderson.
HBO Max issued a direct-to-series order for Dune: The Sisterhood in June 2019, though development was altered significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The writer of the original Dune film, Spaihts, was originally set to create the series, with Villeneuve attached to direct the pilot episode.
Author Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert serve as executive producers for the Frank Herbert Estate, while author Kevin J. Anderson serves as co-producer.
Watson was most recently seen in the 2022 film God’s Creatures, and is also starring in the upcoming The Legend of Ochi.
Henderson, best known for voicing Babu Frik in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, also starred in 2022’s See How They Run as Agatha Christie.
Red carpet: Watson was most recently seen in the 2022 film God’s Creatures, and is also starring in the upcoming The Legend of Ochi; seen in 2011
New role: Henderson, best known for voicing Babu Frik in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, also starred in 2022’s See How They Run as Agatha Christie; seen in 2018 in London