Dune: The Sisterhood has reportedly cast its two lead roles.

It’s been a few years since HBO Max officially announced a Dune spin-off series being developed for the platform. The project has undergone several stages of development, and we are at a point right now where we’re getting news about the show every few months, which could hint at some momentum being built, or just another shot in the dark.

According to Deadline, the series has cast Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson in the lead roles of Valya Harkonnen and Tula Harkonnen, respectively, the formidable Harkonnen Sisters, “who have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will go on to become the Bene Gesserit.” It will take place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides.

Earlier this year, we found out that Chernobyl‘s Johan Renck will be directing the first two episodes, and will also be an executive producer on the series. Dune director Denis Villeneuve was at one point going to direct the pilot. Diane Ademu-John (The Haunting of Bly Manor) has taken over as main writer and showrunner from Dune co-writer Jon Spaihts.

The news has also come out while Villeneuve is hard at work in Budapest shooting Dune: Part II, which, in addition to returning cast members Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, will include Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Christopher Walken as the Emperor of the Known Universe, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot, and Souheila Yacoub. The movie is currently scheduled for a November 17, 2023, release.

A production schedule for Dune: The Sisterhood is currently unknown, though if the series is already casting its lead roles and they have the crew assembled, filming could begin before the end of the year. That would mean that the series could debut on HBO Max shortly after Dune: Part II releases in theaters.

Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.