Jon Spaihts is stepping down as showrunner for HBO Max’s upcoming “Dune” TV series and will shift his focus to a potential sequel for Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming big-screen reboot of Frank Herbert’s novel.
Spaihts will still remain as an executive producer on the series, which is from Legendary TV, an individual with knowledge of the production tells TheWrap. Villeneuve is set to direct the pilot. Dana Calvo, the creator of “Good Girls Revolt,” was brought in as co-showrunner in July.
A sequel to Villeneuve’s “Dune” has not been announced. Villeneuve’s big-screen reboot of “Dune” — David Lynch directed a 1984 version — is set to be released on Nov. 20, 2020. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, and Dave Bautista will star in the film.
Based on Frank Herbert’s epic “Dune” novel series, “Dune: The Sisterhood” explores the world of the book through the eyes of a mysterious order of women known as the Bene Gesserit. Given extraordinary abilities by their mastery of the body and the mind, the Bene Gesserit expertly weaves through the feudal politics and intrigue of The Imperium, pursuing plans of their own that will ultimately lead them to the enigmatic planet Arrakis, known to its inhabitants as Dune.
HBO Max will launch in May and cost $15 a month.
The Hollywood Reporter was first to report on Spaihts’ departure.