Editorial Staff
Syfy today announced that it will develop Frederik Pohl’s Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel ”Gateway” about humanity’s encounter with a mysterious, ancient alien civilization as a one-hour scripted series with Entertainment One Television (eOne) and Universal Cable Productions (UCP). eOne will distribute the series worldwide.
David Eick (”Battlestar Galactica”) and Josh Pate (”Falling Skies”) collaborated on the adaptation and will serve as executive producers on the series. Eick will revise a pilot script written by Pate and serve as showrunner. The series will also be executive produced by Martha De Laurentiis through the De Laurentiis Company, former eOne Television executive Michael Rosenberg, and Lorenzo De Maio. eOne Television’s Gerard Bocaccio, SVP US Scripted Development, will oversee the project for the studio.
In ”Gateway”, humanity discovers an asteroid teeming with the long abandoned spaceships of an advanced alien race — the Heechee – setting in motion a gold rush for alien artifacts and technology. The ships are preprogrammed, transporting their voyagers to distant worlds of riches — or certain death. Undaunted by the peril or the odds, prospector Robinette Broadhead gambles everything on a journey to Gateway. After one nightmare mission, he returns to extraordinary wealth and luxury, but is haunted by the loss of his crewmates, including the love of his life.
Said Bill McGoldrick, Executive Vice President, Original Content, Syfy: “We’re delighted to develop this fascinating First Contact story with long-time partners Universal Cable Productions and Entertainment One. Gateway is thought-provoking and unsettling, raising profound questions about mankind’s possible relationship with alien life.”
“David and Josh are masters of telling authentic, multidimensional stories set in wholly unfamiliar worlds, and we are thrilled to collaborate with them and Syfy to translate Frederik’s beloved and timeless adventure saga into an equally exhilarating television series,” said Pancho Mansfield, President of Global Scripted Programming, eOne Television.
“Gateway is a science-fiction marvel weaving a great story of humanity and love,” said Dawn Olmstead, Executive Vice President, Development at Universal Cable Productions. “We’re excited to realize Frederik Pohl’s vision and bring it to life for Syfy- the ideal home for this compelling classic.”
First published in 1977 by St. Martin’s Press, ”Gateway” is a celebrated science fiction book that has won top writing awards including the Hugo Award(R) for Best Novel, the Nebula Award(R) for Best Novel, the Locus Award(R) for Best Novel and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award(R) for Best Science Fiction Novel, among others.
Meantime, Arthur C. Clarke’s ”Childhood’s End”, one of the most-acclaimed science fiction novels of all time, will come to life in the first-ever adaptation beginning December 14 on Syfy. This six-hour television event from Syfy and Universal Cable Productions will air over three consecutive nights on Monday, December 14, Tuesday, December 15 and Wednesday, December 16 from 8-10PM (ET/PT).
Executive produced by award-winning producers Akiva Goldsman (”Lone Survivor”, ”A Beautiful Mind”, ”I Am Legend”) and Michael De Luca (”Captain Phillips”, ”Moneyball”, ”The Social Network”), the star-studded cast is led by Charles Dance (”Game of Thrones”), Mike Vogel (”Under the Dome”), Daisy Betts (”The Last Resort”), Yael Stone (”Orange is the New Black”), Julian McMahon (”Nip/Tuck”), Osy Ikhile (”The Fear”) and Colm Meaney (”Star Trek: The Next Generation”).
”Childhood’s End” follows the peaceful invasion of Earth by the alien Overlords, who promise to eliminate poverty, war and sickness – ushering in a golden age of peace, health and security for all of humankind. But why do the Overlords insist on hiding their appearance – and what do they ultimately want from Earth? While much of the world enjoys its newfound utopia, some suspect there’s a price to pay. As the truth about the Overlords’ intentions are revealed, humanity will discover its actual destiny may actually be a nightmare, instead of a dream.
”Childhood’s End” is adapted by Matthew Graham (creator of BBC’s ”Life on Mars” and ”Ashes to Ashes”), who serve as writer/executive producer. Alissa Phillips (”Moneyball”, ”Mob City”) is co-executive producer. Universal Cable Productions is the studio.
The miniseries is directed by Nick Hurran, who received an Emmy(R) nomination for ”Sherlock” and a Hugo Award nomination for ”Dr. Who.”
