News, updates, and (mostly viable) rumors relating to development of science fiction / fantasy television productions. If you have tips or more info on these or other productions, please pass them along in the comments.
The ratings continue to sink for the Fall series (genre and non-genre), but production of new shows continues to move forward at full speed. Here at the ones that I have tracked from the last couple of weeks including several big announcements (and a lot are comic book adaptations).
Hellfire
Network: FOX
Production Team: Lauren Shuler Donner (Executive Producer), Simon Kinberg (Executive Producer), Jeph Loeb (Executive Producer)
Status: Early Development
About: Hellfire follows a young Special Agent who learns that a power-hungry woman with extraordinary abilities is working with a clandestine society of millionaires – known as “The Hellfire Club” – to take over the world. Source: Deadline Hollywood
Comments: Set in the same universe as X-Men movies produced by 20th Century FOX, this is the first of two television tie-ins in the works. The second is Legion which is moving forward at FX, details below.
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Legion
Network: FX
Production Team: Lauren Shuler Donner (Executive Producer), Simon Kinberg (Executive Producer), Jeph Loeb (Executive Producer)
Status: Early Development
About: Legion introduces the story of David Haller: Since he was a teenager, David has struggled with mental illness. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. But after a strange encounter with a fellow patient, he’s confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real. He’s based on the Marvel comics character Legion, the son of X-Men founder Charles Xavier, first introduced in 1985. Source: Deadline Hollywood
Comments: Set in the same universe as X-Men movies produced by 20th Century FOX, this is the second of two television tie-ins in the works. The first is Hellfire which is moving forward at FOX, details above.
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T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
Network: Non Yet
Production Team: Michael Uslan (Executive Producers), Huayi Brothers Media
Status: Early Development
About: The “Thunder Agents” comic series was created by Wally Wood and was popular in the 1960s when it was published by Tower Comics. Thunder is the acronym for a fictional group of peace keepers known as ‘The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.’ The elite group is selected from ordinary people, and benefit from high-tech equipment that help agents become super powers, and wage war against evil. Source: Variety
Comments: Huayi Brothers Media is looking at this comic book property as both a film and TV franchise and they are currently targeting 2018 for the first movie. No word yet on when the TV series would follow.
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Y: The Last Man
Network: FX
Production Team: Nina Jacobson (Executive Producer), Brad Simpson (Executive Producer)
Status: Early Development
About: Y: The Last Man revolves around Yorick Brown — the last surviving human with a Y chromosome — and his Capuchin monkey, Ampersand. The series follows escape artist Yorick after the mysterious plague as he sets out to find what might have wiped out the world’s male chromosomes. Source: Hollywood Reporter
Comments: Based on the popular comic book series of the same name created by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. FX is likely looking at mid to late 2016 to get this show on their schedule.
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Hack/Slash
Network: None Yet
Production Team: Skip Woods (Writer/Executive Producer), Adrian Askarieh (Executive Producer), Relativity Television
Status: Early Development
About: Hack/Slash centers on Cassie Hack, a woman who symbolizes the cliche of the lone girl who survives at the end of every horror movie. However, the emotionally damaged girl not only survived but has become a killer of killers. Along with a burly protector named Vlad, Hack travels across the country hunting slashers in the vein of Halloween‘s Michael Myers, Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees and A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Krueger. Source: Hollywood Reporter
Comments: This is based on the popular comic book created by Tim Seeley and Stefano Caselli. No network has picked the show up yet, but there will likely be several interested.
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Amazing Stories
Network: NBC
Production Team: Bryan Fuller (Writer/Executive Producer), Amblin TV
Status: Early development
About: This will be a remake of the 1980’s fantasy/suspense anthology series originally created and executive produced by Stephen Spielberg.
Comments: There is no word yet on whether this is set to go straight to series or if a pilot will be produced first. NBC is likely looking at getting this on the schedule for the 2016-17 season. Source: Deadline Hollywood
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The Boys
Network: None Yet
Production Team: Seth Rogen (Executive Producer), Evan Goldberg (Executive Producer), Eric Kripke (Executive Producer)
Status: Very Early Development
About: The Boys debuted in 2006 as part of DC Comics’s WildStorm imprint, starring a team of superpowered CIA operatives tasked with keeping reckless superheroes under control. Source: Comic Book Resources
Comments: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are already bringing The Preacher to AMC and word is they are shopping around this comic book property as well (both were created by Garth Ennis) with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke onboard as well. This in at a very early development stage with no network or studio attached, so it could be a while before any substantial progress is made on this.
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In Time
Network: FOX
Production Team: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (Executive Producers), Julius Sharpe (Writer)
Status: Early Development
About: In Time revolves around three friends who try to balance the adventure of time travel with the mundane concerns of their present day lives. Source: Deadline Hollywood
Comments: FOX has given a put pilot commitment for this series which means that they pay a substantial fee if they pass on the project. They are possibly considering this for the 2016-17 season and possibly as a replacement for The Last Man on Earth (from the same EPs) which is currently struggling in the ratings.
