Sci fi TV development continues to move forward with several high profile projects in the works. Here is a roundup of the development announcements from the past couple of weeks.
Blade Runner Anime series is headed to Adult Swim
Network: Adult Swim
Credits: Shinji Aramaki (Director), Kenji Kamiyama (Director), Shinichiro Watanabe (Creative Producer), Sola Digital Arts (Studio)
Starring: TBA
Description: Titled Blade Runner: Black Lotus, the series “will be set in the year 2032, in between the two films, and include some familiar characters from the Blade Runner universe.” THR
Comments: There are not too many details available on this one, but expect more news over the coming months.
Robert Kirkman and Skybound are working on the apocalyptic series 5 Year
Network: TBA
Credits: Robert Kirkman (Creator / Executive Producer), Skybound Entertainment (Production Company)
Starring: TBA
Description: The series will chronicle “the final five years before a fatal meteor hits the Earth” and will take place across multiple countries. “A different version of 5 Year will be produced for each market with narratives and characters set in that region. Those individualized 5 Year will be in that locale or nation’s own language while following an overall timeline for the entire series.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: This is definitely an ambitious project with multiple series running across several countries. Kirkman previously signed a development deal with Amazon, but it is not clear at this point if that streaming service will carry the series.
Syfy sets up the alien invasion drama Spides to air globally in 2019
Network: Syfy
Credits: Rainer Matsutani (Writer / Executive Producer), Eckhard Vollmar (Writer / Executive Producer), Katapult Filmproduktion (Production Company)
Starring: Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Falk Hentschel, Florence Kasumba, Désirée Nosbusch
Description: “Set in modern-day Berlin, Spides follows Nora, a young woman who wakes from a coma without any memory of her previous life after taking a mysterious drug. Hentschel plays local police detective David Leonhart, while Kasumba plays his partner Nique Navar, who are hunting down that drug in relation to dozens of missing teens. When Nora sets out to discover what happened to her, she begins to unravel a conspiracy of aliens who are using a synthetic drug to infiltrate humans to use as host bodies. The more truth Nora uncovers, the more of her own dark secret is revealed: she is the key to the invasion she is fighting.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: This series is already in production and will air in late 2019. Deadline Hollywood mentions UK, France, Iberia, Germany, Latin America, Poland, Romania, Balkans, Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Brazil as the countries it will air, but the U.S. is not included yet.
Live action reboot of Cowboy Bebop is in the works at Netflix
Network: Netflix
Credits: Andre Nemec (Showrunner / Executive Producer), Josh Appelbaum (Showrunner / Executive Producer), Jeff Pinkner (Showrunner / Executive Producer), Scott Rosenberg (Showrunner / Executive Producer), Tomorrow Studios (Studio)
Starring: TBA
Description: “The live-action take tells a jazz-inspired, genre-bending story of Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Fay Valentine and Radical Ed, a rag-tag crew of bounty hunters on the run from their pasts as they hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals.” THR
Comments: Netflix has placed a ten episode order for the series which is based on the classic 90’s Anime of the same name. This project was previously in the works at Amazon.
Netflix is working on Animated adaptations of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and more
Network: Netflix
Credits: TBA
Starring: TBA
Description: “‘Our mission, which is purposefully lofty, is for as many children as possible around the world to experience the unique magic and positive message of Roald Dahl’s stories,’ said Felicity Dahl, Roald Dahl’s widow. ‘This partnership with Netflix marks a significant move toward making that possible and is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the Roald Dahl Story Company. Roald would, I know, be thrilled.'” SlashFilm.com
Comments: Expect these to start rolling out at some point in late 2019 or early 2020
A reboot of the British series Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected is in the works
Network: TBA
Credits: Claire Wilson (Writer), Tom Basden (Writer), The Ink Factory (Production Company)
Starring: TBA
Description: “The series, originally produced by Anglia Television for British commercial broadcaster ITV between 1979 and 1988, told a different story each week with Dahl’s trademark sinister and comedic undertones with a twist at the end. Each episode was based on one of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda author’s short stories.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: This will be a live-action anthology series and does not appear to be connected to the Netflix animated entries mentioned above.
The CW is developing the superhero dramedy Super Clean
Network: CW
Credits: Sascha Rothchild (Writer / Executive Producer), CBS TV Studios (Studio)
Starring: TBA
Description: “Super Clean explores the superhero genre from the human side. Becky Masters, an uber-organized and brilliant human, and her ragtag team of non-powered cohorts navigate the danger and drama of ‘cleaning up’ after superheroes and villains, all while Becky works to prove her superhero boyfriend is innocent of a dastardly crime.” Deadline Hollywood
Comments: This is based on the comic SuperCLEAN which was created by Heath Amodio and Cullen Bunn. The CW will be considering this for their Fall 2019 schedule.
The CW is developing City of Ghosts as a series
Network: CW
Credits: Karen Wyscarver (Writer / Executive Producer), Sanford Golden (Writer / Executive Producer), Warner Bros. TV (Studio)
Starring: TBA
Description: “After a near-death experience, college grad Cassidy moves to Scotland to study paranormal psychology at the University of Edinburgh in hopes of learning more about her strange connection to the afterlife. There she meets the enigmatic Dr. Barrow and discovers that her gift is more powerful that she ever thought possible.” Variety
Comments: This is based on the Victoria Schwab book of the same name. The CW will be considering this one for their Fall 2019 schedule.
The Fall season is in full swing now with close to fifty new and returning sci fi and fantasy television shows. You can see the rundown of the Fall season at this link. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site throughout the season for the latest ratings results and status updates for your favorite shows.
