The science fiction series Dune: The Sisterhood is an upcoming spin-off series based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert (Hellstrom’s Hive, The White Plague). With the recently announced SAG-AFTRA strike and ongoing WGA strike, some productions have been halted. According to Deadline, though, Dune: The Sisterhood will be continuing production in Budapest, Hungary.
Following suit of HBO’s House of the Dragon and Industry, Dune: The Sisterhood will continue filming due to the British Equity contracts of the cast members. Deadline notes that, per statements made by Equity along with the anti-trade union laws in the United Kingdom, those working under Equity contracts are to “continue to report.”
Dune: The Sisterhood serves as a prequel set 10,000 years before the events of Dune and revolves around the Harkonnen sisters establishing the Bene Gesserit order. As Deadline notes, at the beginning of this year, the series went on a pre-scheduled hiatus and underwent changes due to a few cast and crew members stepping down.
As Deadline notes, earlier this year one of the executive producers and directors Johan Renck (Spaceman, Downloading Nancy) left the series. Around the same time, the creator Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor, Empire) made the decision to go from serving as the series’ co-showrunner to an executive producer. Alison Schapker (Lost, Alias) will now be the series’ sole showrunner.
Additionally, one of the lead actors Shirley Henderson (Tom Jones, Wild Child), who was set to play Tula Harkonnen in the series, stepped down along with Indira Varma (Obsession, Game of Thrones), who was set to play Natalya. Olivia Williams (Rushmore, The Ghost Writer) has stepped into the role of Harkonnen while Jodhi May (A World Apart, The Last of the Mohicans) will be Natalya.
Despite the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, HBO’s Dune: The Sisterhood will soon proceed with filming.