Dune: The Sisterhood HBO Max series adds Indira Varma, begins filming next month

Dune: Part Two, the second half of director Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune, started filming in Budapest, Hungary back in July and is heading for a November 3, 2023 release date. Now Deadline reports that the HBO Max series Dune: The Sisterhood, which is a prequel to the Dune feature films, is going to begin filming in Budapest next month. That means this series and Dune: Part Two will both be filming in Budapest at the same time!

With the production start date drawing near, Dune: The Sisterhood has also added Obi-Wan‘s Indira Varma to its cast.

Diane Ademu-John, who previously worked on The Haunting of Bly Manor at Netflix, Empire at Fox, The Originals and The Vampire Diaries at The CW, and Medium and Crossing Jordan at NBC, is the showrunner on Dune: The Sisterhood. Ademu-John is also writing and executive producing the show, which will be 

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. 

Dune: The Sisterhood is set

10,000 years prior to the events of Dune and follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.

Varma is taking on the role of Empress Natalya, described to us “a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds in her marriage to Emperor Corrino”. She joins previously announced cast members Emily Watson (Punch Drunk Love) and Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), who are playing Valya Harkonnen and Tula Harkonnen. “Together, these women have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will ascend to become the Bene Gesserit.”

Johan Renck, who executive produced and directed all five episodes of the HBO limited series Chernobyl (and won two Emmys for his work on that show) will be directing the first two episodes of Dune: The Sisterhood. Villeneuve had been planning to direct the pilot episode of this show himself, but the scheduling conflict with Dune: Part Two has made that impossible. He remains on board Dune: The Sisterhood as an executive producer. An HBO Max and Legendary Television co-production, the show is also being executive produced by Scott Z. Burns, Mark Friedman, Matthew King, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, and Jon Spaihts, who has written the Dune films with Villeneuve and was supposed to be the Sisterhood showrunner at one time. Kevin J. Anderson co-produces.

A premiere date for Dune: The Sisterhood hasn’t been announced yet. Are you looking forward to this show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.