Former Dune: Prophecy director Johan Renck explains the major behind-the-scenes changes that the show has gone through. Initially called Dune: The Sisterhood, the Max series was first announced in 2019, with a story that would take place 10,000 years before Frank Herbert’s Dune novel and chronicle the origins of the Bene Gesserit. After cycling through various showrunners and directors, including Villeneuve himself, who was slated to helm the pilot, the series was finally entered into production in late 2022, with a release now expected later this year.
In a recent interview with The Playlist to promote his new film, Spaceman, Renck pulls back the curtain on some of the behind-the-scenes shakeups that happened on Max’s Dune: Prophecy. According to the director, this is just sometimes a part of the TV-making process. Check out Renck’s full comment below:
“I was fiddling with [Dune: Prophecy] for a moment, but yeah, I’m not involved in that at all. At least, I think—I might still be an executive producer on it, but I’m not involved in it now.
“I mean, this is what kind of happens sometimes. I’ve been through similar things before. Like I said before, I’m not tremendously interested in episodic television as a director. Anyway, it’s been many years since I was involved in that [show] in any shape or form.
“For example. I did a pilot, which is like ten years ago now, for a show on Netflix called Bloodline, which was like you’re part of setting something up. You’re part of it, but at the same time, the whole episodic TV thing is much more of a committee because you have a showrunner, you have the writers, you have the director, you have various producers, you have the network, and all the actors involved that are trying to find their putting in footing that may or may not go on for years, you know?
“So, it’s a very different kind of apparatus than a film. And again, a limited series makes sense to me because there’s one director, I’m the director of it, the writer is the writer, and I do the A to Z in it. I understand that, but when it comes to that type of episodic television…
“The reason I got involved to some extent with Dune was that I’m a massive fan of the
David Lynch
Dune movie, the original one from the eighties. I love that movie. It’s so absurd, bizarre, weird, dark, and twisted. So, for me, it was like, ‘Yeah, okay, if they’re doing a TV series, that would be interesting to see because what they said earlier on was like, ‘This doesn’t have to have anything to do with the movies, the [Denis] Villeneuve movies, this is its own animal, and we can do whatever we want with it,’ so that’s where it started.“But as you said, there was a lot of stuff that was going on, but no one can be held responsible, or showrunners that got exchanged, and the original idea of the story completely changed course also because it used to be called, Dune: Sisterhood, and then it changed names and became a completely different thing. Again, that’s something that can happen in episodic TV, and it’s just like, either you are okay being in and functioning in that environment of that kind, but it never has been or will it be something for me.”
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Jon Spaihts was originally slated to serve as showrunner for the series, but he was eventually joined by Dana Calvo. Spaihts, however, left the project in late 2019, and it was later reported by THR that Legendary Entertainment had let him go due to being unsatisfied with the scripts he had written. Diane Ademu-John joined as a showrunner but then eventually left in late 2022, though she remains credited as an executive producer.
Villeneuve, too, had to depart due to his work on the critically-acclaimed Dune: Part Two, meaning he did not end up directing the pilot as originally planned. Anna Foerster ended up stepping in to replace him, directing the pilot in addition to several other episodes. After the shakeups, Alison Schapker became Dune: Prophecy‘s only showrunner.
Many questions still remain about Dune: Prophecy, but the numerous creative redirects could be a worrying sign. The major critical and commercial success of Dune: Part Two means interest will likely be high for the Max series, but matching Villeneuve’s unique vision for the sci-fi franchise will undoubtedly be a challenge. With the show expected to arrive at some point this year, an official release date will hopefully be revealed in the coming months.
Dune: Prophecy
Dune: Prophecy is a television adaptation of Sisterhood of Dune novel, a prequel to the events of the original Dune. The show is set 10,000 years before Paul Atreides’s ascension and centers around the Harkonnen Sisters. Dune: Prophecy will follow the sisters as they battle evils that threaten to erase humanity as they establish the sect of Bene Gesserit. Diane Ademu-John acts as the showrunner for the series.
- Cast
- Emily Watson , Shirley Henderson , Travis Fimmel , Indira Varma , Sarah-Sofie Boussnina , Chloe Lea
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- HBO Max
- Franchise(s)
- Dune
- Writers
- Diane Ademu-John , Kevin J. Anderson , Brian Herbert , Frank Herbert
- Directors
- Anna Foerster
- Showrunner
- Diane Ademu-John
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