‘Dune: The Sisterhood' TV Series Set to Film in Ireland
After a long wait, production of HBO Max’s Dune TV series looms on the horizon. A film industry insider has disclosed to Secrets of Dune that the crew of Dune: The Sisterhood (working title) are rumored to be assembling in September this year. According to source—who has extensive experience in the industry—the TV show would allegedly be filmed at Troy Studios in Limerick, Ireland. They also said that this will be an almost entirely studio-based production.
These unconfirmed rumors follow last month’s official announcement that Johan Renck will direct Dune: The Sisterhood‘s first episodes. In early 2020—prior to pandemic and subsequent production delays—the Film & Television Industry Alliance had listed Hungary and Jordan as locations, however those may have been placeholders or plans have since changed. Given the upcoming TV series takes place 10 thousand years before events of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies, there wouldn’t be a reason to re-use film sets.
Troy Studios is the location of several recent science fiction TV series productions, such as George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers (Syfy) and the Apple TV+ adaptation of Foundation. The latter employed more than 500 production workers during its filming in Ireland. Showrunner Diane Ademu-John and the crew of Dune: The Sisterhood would be able to leverage state-of-the-art facilities onsite and enjoy easy access to the scenic Irish countryside—if they choose to shoot there. Ireland’s many iconic locations, as also featured on Game of Thrones, certainly fit the feel of Dune‘s medieval-like society.
As a setting for filming, Ireland also makes sense economically. The country offers a tax credit of 37% (capped to €25.9 million per project) for movie and television productions. This covers both local goods and services, as well as international cast and crew members while they’re working in Ireland.
In his YouTube video (10.5 minutes), where aforementioned rumors were revealed, Secrets of Dune summarizes what is known so far about the upcoming Dune TV series. He also speculates on actors and directors he’d like to see involved with this project. Read More…
