Syfy has given a direct-to-series order to an exciting-sounding new project based on an acclaimed sci-fi book series. The cable network has ordered 10 episodes of The Expanse, from Academy Award-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man) and Alcon Television Group. The project has been described by industry insiders as “Game of Thrones in space” — not so much because of the specifics of the plot, but because it tells a dramatic sprawling grown-up story within a popular fantasy genre that’s based on a respected series of novels.
The logline: “A thriller set two hundred years in the future, The Expanse follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.”
The Expanse is based on a series of books by James S.A. Corey. The most well-known title is probably the first in the series, Leviathan Wakes, which has been praised for reinventing and updating the old-school Star Wars/Firefly-style space opera. Syfy won a bidding war with another content producer to acquire the project.
Syfy president Dave Howe promised, “The Expanse is epic in scale and scope and promises to be Syfy’s most ambitious series to date. Bringing this coveted book franchise to television with our partners at Alcon and the Sean Daniel Company is a giant win for Syfy, reinforcing our overall strategy to produce bold, provocative and compelling sci-fi fantasy stories. The Expanse joins a killer line-up of high-concept, high quality series, along with recently announced original projects Ascension, 12 Monkeys, the renewal of Helix, and the soon to premiere Dominion.”
Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of the Sean Daniel Company developed the original pitch, with Fergus and Ostby, and will also executive produce. “The Expanse is one of the most special pieces of material we’ve ever encountered and it has been our dream to bring it to life since the moment we read it,” Daniel and Brown said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited to be doing it with this team of all-stars.”
Added Alcon president Sharon Hall: “The Expanse is an addictive, sophisticated, character-driven franchise and Mark and Hawk are the perfect people to steer it. Their script is a totally immersive and accessible sci-fi journey.”
(Just FYI, the author of Leviathan Wakes, James S.A. Corey, is actually a collaberative pseudonym of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. I guess EW didn't know this...) [Reply]
Originally Posted by RealSNR:
I get the feeling they don't really care about its cost or if it gets viewers. Bezos loves it, so it's gonna get produced.
Content is King. SyFy got the football to the 25 yard line on a punt return. Might as well take a few shots at the end zone. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower:
Did they bring back Prax?!?
Spoiler!
he does show up again in the books but it's not something that happens for a while. They'd have to make some significant changes to being him back on tv.
And I think the actor is involved in other stuff these days. So my guess would be no.
I read the books before the series was even an idea. I don't think it will hurt your enjoyment of the series at all. If anything it may enhance it. Even knowing what's going to happen, the amazing thing with the show is seeing how they actually manage to do it.
And the TV series is about as true to print as anything I've se n. The authors are both writers and producers on the TV series and have been heavily involved since the show's inception. [Reply]
Originally Posted by NewChief:
I loved this show so much. I want to read the books so bad, but I’m scared it will fuck up my enjoyment of the show.
I read the first three books this summer and it definitely helped fill in some of the missed details from the show. So far, it's been one book per season and they followed the books fairly closely (though Season 3 was the least like the book). So far, it's the most I've enjoyed reading a series in quite a while. [Reply]