Dune: The Sisterhood creator Diane Ademu-John steps down as co-showrunner on HBO Max series

EXCLUSIVE: When the HBO Max Dune: the chorus (wt) moves into production, series creator and writer Diane Ademu-John steps down as co-showrunner. She will continue to be creatively involved with the prequel as an executive producer, but will focus on other commitments. Veteran TV writer and producer Alison Schapker, who served as co-showrunner alongside Ademu-John, will now become the series’ sole showrunner.

Schapker and Ademu-John will executive produce with Johan Renck, who will direct the premiere episode. Filming for the series began yesterday in Budapest, Renck announced on Instagram. (You can read his post below.)

With Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson and Travis Fimmel, Dune: the chorus (wt), based on the classic novel by Frank Herbert, set 10,000 years before the Ascension by Paul Atreides. It follows the Harkonnen sisters, played by Watson and Henderson, as they battle forces that threaten the future of humanity and create the legendary cult known as the Bene Gesserit.

In addition to Watson, Henderson and Fimmel, the cast also includes Indira Varma, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoilann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds and Chloe Lea.

Denis Villeneuve, who directed, co-wrote and produced the 2021 film dune film, is executive producing with writer Brian Herbert for Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron and Cait Collins. Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert serve as executive producers for Frank Herbert’s Estate. Writer Kevin J. Anderson serves as co-producer.

The series is co-produced by HBO Max and Legendary Television, the television arm of Legendary behind the current film franchise.

Schapker has an extensive resume in genre drama TV. Most recently, she was executive producer of Western world. Before that, she was an executive producer and co-showrunner/showrunner at Netflix modified carbon and continued to work edge, lost and Almost human.