Dune Prequel TV Series Reportedly Gets New Title, Release Window

No only do movie fans have Dune: Part Two to look forward to next year, but the science fiction franchise is set to expand into television. A prequel television is being produced for Warner Bros, Discovery's Max streaming service — and now, it has a major new update. This week, reports indicated that the Dune television spinoff, which was originally titled Dune: The Sisterhood, has been renamed Dune: Prophecy. IGN has officially confirmed the name change, as well as the detail that the series is expected to debut on Max in the fall of 2024.

While this certainly isn't an official release date for Dune: Prophecy, the window could end up being a safe bet, especially as the series has reportedly been able to resume production in Budapest amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors' strike. Fellow HBO shows like the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon and Industry were also able to continue to film amid the strike, due to the fact that their productions almost-exclusively consist of Equity contract actors, with some SAG-AFTRA members in the mix. According to the guidelines released by SAG-AFTRA, union members working under Equity contracts don't need to stop production at this time.

What Is Dune: Prophecy About?

Dune: Prophecy has been previously described as being 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. Members of the cast will also include Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen; Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Princess Ynez; Shalom Brune Franklin as Mikaela; Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen; Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline; Chloe Lea as Lila; Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart; Mark Strong as Emperor Javicco Corrino; Jade Anouka as Sister Theodosia; Chris Mason as Keiran Atreides.

"Oh, that is carrying on and I'm not allowed to talk about it very much," Spaihts previously said during an interview with The Playlist. "But that effort is alive and well. I ended up getting moved off of it to work, not just on Dune: Part Two, but to investigate other cinematic prospects in the Dune universe, which we are still talking about and which, again, I'm not allowed to say very much about. But it is a very rich world in which to play, and I think it is ripe with opportunities for storytelling in every direction. They're well down the road, but I honestly don't know the details of the timing."

What Is Happening with Dune: Propecy?

Back in February, reports indicated that the series had lost star Shirley Henderson, as well as the director of the first two episodes, Johan Renck. These exits occurred after the departure of showrunner Diane Ademu-John, who left the series right before it began production in late November, which reportedly led to major rewrites. According to reports, Renck's directing style also did not line up with Max's vision for the show, and was seen as a "departure" from the style of Denis Villeneuve's films. The Crown star Olivia Williams has replaced Henderson as Tula Harkonnen, while The Witcher's Jodhi May will replacing Creature Commandos star Indira Varma as Empress Natalya, who reportedly stepped away from the part due to a scheduling conflict.

"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."

What do you think of the latest update about the Dune television spinoff? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!