This series may be based on the novel Sisterhood of Dune, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. A prequel to the original Dune, it is the first of the Great Schools of Dune trilogy, and tells how the Sisterhood of Rossak evolved into the Bene Gesserit.
Deadline announced in February 2023 that the series, which started production in late November 2022, was put on hold due to undergoing a creative shift, a director change and a recasting. Executive producer Johan Renck, who had signed on to direct the first two episodes, exited the project. Shirley Henderson, who had been tapped as one of the leads, also left and her role as Tula Harkonnen would be recast. That is in addition to creator Diane Ademu-John, who had written the pilot script, stepping down as co-showrunner in the run-up to production, with veteran TV writer-producer Alison Schapker becoming sole showrunner of the series. Deadline said they were hearing conflicting views on the hiatus. While sources close to the production insisted there had always been a plan to stop filming for the winter months, others indicated that production had been pushed by seven months to give Schapker and her team time to put their creative stamp by reworking the scripts as well as to find a new director.
Diane Ademu-John took over the showrunner position from Jon Spaihts as he writes Dune: Part Two (2024).
This series takes place about 10,000 years before the events of the first Dune book.
Indira Varma left the production due to scheduling conflicts. She was replaced by Jodhi May.