‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Casts the Brutal Harkonnen Sisters at its Center
Dune: The Sisterhood digs more into an important part of the Dune mythos: the history of the Bene Gesserit and its early members.
Herbert’s Dune is set in a future in which humanity has spread across the galaxy to thousands of worlds. All of them were ruled by the Padishah Emperor. An order of mysterious women of rules from the shadows, though. The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood has abilities given to them by their mastery of the body and the mind. This has made them invaluable to all of the houses of the galaxy. They weave through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium with their own plans to create a being of immense power.
Their story and plans started thousands of years before Paul was born.
via Legendary Pictures
What We Know About Dune: The Sisterhood
The streaming series is based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson; it will be set in Villeneuve’s universe. It takes place 10,000 years before the events in Dune and follows the two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, all while helping establish the Bene Gesserit and its breeding program.
Valya joined the Sisterhood of Rossak as a child and proved to be one of the most faithful and talented members. She became the first Mother Superior of the order when it was renamed the Bene Gesserit. She also holds a large amount of hatred for House Atreides, who she blames for the fall of her own house. Valya is the type that doesn’t believe in threats, she believes in action. Tula is the younger of the two. She works with her sister to gain revenge and further the Bene Gesserit agenda.
Casting is ongoing, but the two lead characters have been announced. Emily Watson (L) will play Valya Harkonnen and Shirley Henderson (R) will play Tula Harkonnen.
There are several other big players that will show up in the series from the two houses, as well as the other emerging schools. We’ll also get a ton of background that will make the Dune universe make a bit more sense.
The series will be directed in part by Denis Villeneuve and written Jon Spaihts (Doctor Strange, Prometheus) with Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, and Kim Herbert as executive producers. There’s no release date, but they’ve been working on the show since it was ordered in 2019. There’s bound to be more news soon.
via Legendary Pictures
