War of the Worlds, the template-setting 1898 alien invasion sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells, has certainly seen its share of adaptations over its century-plus existence; a multi-medium collection that will soon add a promising miniseries by the BBC. However, Urban Myth Films is prepping its own television take on the classic story of extraterrestrial conflagration. Moreover, the series has procured a pair of prestigious stars for its effort.
Urban Myth’s adaptation will be written and created by Howard Overman, a scribe who’s tackled his share of genre shows, currently on Hulu’s Future Man, which he co-created, with work banked on Crazyhead, Atlantis, Misfits, Merlin and the BBC’s 2010-2012 Dirk Gently series. He is joined by Gilles Coulier (Cargo), who will direct Episodes 1-4, and Richard Clark (Versailles) who will handle Episodes 5-8. The creative team consists of director of photography David Williamson (De Dag) and production designer Richard Bullock (Les Misérables). As Urban Myth’s Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy express of the group in a statement:
The Urban Myth War of the Worlds reimagining will have global designs, representing a co-financing/co-distribution deal with AGC Television, who will distribute in North America and share those duties with Canal+ in France, Studiocanal in Asia, Australasia, Latin America, and the Middle East, with Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa handling its designated regions, barring French-speaking territories.
We will keep you updated on this version of War of the Worlds as details arrive.
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.
