Vikings’ Ragnar star lands lead in HBO Max project

Dune: Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya star in dramatic trailer

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Warner Bros’ first entry in their rebooted Dune franchise proved a surprise hit when it debuted to a $400 million worldwide box office last year. The already expansive world of Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) and Arrakis is now set to expand even further with a brand new prequel series lined up for HBO Max, featuring an all-star cast set to include Vikings veteran Travis Fimmel alongside a team of A-list talent.

Travis, formerly best known as the Viking hero Ragnar Lothbrok, has been tapped to star as the male lead in HBO’s upcoming Dune prequel, The Sisterhood.

The series will be based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson’s novel The Sisterhood of Dune and will focus on the mysterious clairvoyants, the Bene Gesserit.

Former Vikings star Travis joins the series shortly after wrapping up his stint on another sci-fi drama for HBO, Raised By Wolves, which was cancelled after two seasons.

He will portray Desmond Hart, who is described as “a charismatic soldier with an enigmatic past, who seeks to gain the Emperor’s trust at the expense of the Sisterhood.”

Unfortunately for those hoping the film cast could be making an appearance, The Sisterhood is set a whole 10,000 years before the Atreides land on Arrakis.

An official description reads: “[The Sisterhood] follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.”

The eponymous sisters will be portrayed by Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson, with Travis rounding out the main trio.

Emily is well-known for films such as War Horse and The Theory of Everything, whilst Shirley is known for her iconic role in Harry Potter as Moaning Myrtle and most recently made an appearance in See How They Run.

Indira Varma, who has made recent appearances in Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Capture, will also star.

Rounding out the supporting cast are Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds and Chloe Lea.

In addition to Vikings and Raised By Wolves, Travis is also known for starring in Warcraft, produced by Lionsgate, the company behind Dune and its upcoming sequel and spin-off.

Diane Ademu-John has been confirmed as the prequel’s creator, co-showrunner and executive producer.

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She took over the series after previous showrunner Jon Spaihts parted ways with the project to focus on writing Dune: Part Two.

Emmy award-winning director Johan Renck, known for his work on the critically acclaimed miniseries Chernobyl, will helm the pilot episode.

Denis Villeneuve, who directed the first film and is returning for the sequel, has remained on board The Sisterhood as an executive producer.

Author Brian, along with Byron Merritt and Kim Herbert, is executive producing on behalf of the Frank Herbert estate.

Primary filming for Dune: Part Two began in July of this year in time for a projected release date of November 2023.

He has also raised interest in directing a third film dependent on the sequel’s success based on Frank Herbert’s third novel in the sci-fi saga, Dune: Messiah.

Travis is currently filming the upcoming TV series Boy Swallows Universe and Black Snow, and will appear in the films El Tonto and Rust.

Vikings seasons 1-6 are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

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