MOVIE NEWS – HBO Max’s return to Arrakis may be delayed – or never happen…

The Dune prequel series from HBO Max has lost its director and one of its stars. This news will in no way affect the release of Denis Villeneuve’s second Dune movie this fall.

Johan Renck, who was to have directed the first two episodes, and Shirley Henderson, who was to have played one of the lead roles, both dropped out of the series after the shooting began in November.

Filming on the series, which currently has the working title “Dune: The Sisterhood”, will not continue. The series has reportedly been suspended until a replacement for both of them is found. A statement from HBO Max attributed the change to the “effort to create the best series possible.”

“As ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, 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,” a company 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.”

This isn’t the first significant change to the sci-fi show’s creative team; Diane Ademu-John, who wrote the pilot script, resigned from her co-showrunner position before filming. Alison Schapker will remain on board as the series’ sole showrunner. Ademu-John will continue as executive producer. HBO Max ordered the series in June 2019. Denis Villeneuve, director of 2021’s Dune and its upcoming sequel, has been signed on to direct the first episode. The French-Canadian filmmaker left the project a few months later, although he remains attached as an executive producer. In addition, Jon Spaihts and Dana Calvo co-hosted the series several times before leaving the project.

“The Sisterhood” is a prequel to Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel “The Dune” and is set 10,000 years before the events depicted in the original 2021 film.

The story follows the Harkonnen sisters. The clan struggles to cope with forces threatening humanity’s future and the establishment of a legendary cult known as the Bene Gesserit. Henderson is joined in the film by Emily Watson, Indira Varma, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds, Chloe Lea, Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong, Jade Anouka and Chris Mason.

Source: Deadline