Before the cameras have had a chance to start rolling, a change is happening behind the scenes at the Dune TV spin-off, Dune: The Sisterhood. Jon Spaihts, who had been on as showrunner, will no longer work on the series. He's sticking with the world of Arrakis, however, as The Hollywood Reporter brings the news that he'll focus on the next film instead.
Denis Villeneuve is busy putting his first adaptation of Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi saga through its paces in post-production, and Spaihts was one of those who wrote the script for the movie. Dune is in a future in which humanity has spread across the galaxy to thousands of worlds, all ruled by the Padishah Emperor, The Imperium. The planned small screen spin-off, Dune: The Sisterhood, takes place in the same universe and explores the future through the eyes of a mysterious order of women: the Bene Gesserit. Given 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, harsh, sandy planet also known as Dune.
With Villeneuve aboard to direct at least the pilot for the show (which has a home at streaming service HBO Max), Spaihts had delivered a script and an outline to guide its development, but executives at Legendary TV reportedly weren't happy with his work and opted to remove him from the show so he can instead spend his time on the movie script.
As for the first film, which features the likes of Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem and many more, is scheduled for release on 20 November next year. Here's everything you need to know.