As Dune: Part Two is set to arrive in theaters later this year, the HBO Max prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood is also currently underway as it started production months ago. A lot of fans have been looking forward to seeing the extension of the Dune universe and how they'll explore the origins of the Bene Gesserit.
However, it looks like the project is experiencing a major setback as Deadline has reported that director Johan Renck and actress Shirley Henderson, who was cast to play Tula Harkonnen, have exited Dune: The Sisterhood. Production for the series is taking a pause due to the changes.
"As Dune: The Sisterhood (wt) has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, 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," an HBO Max spokesperson 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."
The report claimed that after Alison Schapker was tapped as the new sole showrunner for the series before production began, she and her team were put under pressure to make major rewrites on the project and production will be pushed by seven months to give them time to implement the new changes.
Creative differences were cited as the reason behind Renck's exit as his auteur approach did not go along with HBO Max's vision for the series and the look that he set was a departure from what Denis Villeneuve did in the films. It is unknown yet whether his footage will be used once the new director joins in to replace him.
As for Henderson's exit, no reason was stated regarding her departure whether it was due to creative changes. Her role will be recast. However, due to the hiatus caused by the setback, we might hear more cast exists and recastings as the delay will most likely conflict with the actors' schedules.
This is definitely a concerning development in the series since we've been looking forward to its premiere and it felt like things were going well since production have already commenced at this point. With this new update, we should be hearing more news and updates about the other changes that may happen in the coming weeks or months.
Also Read: Florence Pugh Speaks Out on Dune: Part Two Co-Stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet
HBO Max has not set a release window yet for Dune: The Sisterhood. You can check more details about it here.
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