A
set of ‘first-look’ images from Urban Myth Films’ WAR
OF THE WORLDS
have been released today as post-production begins on the
eagerly-anticipated
contemporary reimaging of H.G. Wells timeless classic.
The
major new 8 x 60’ drama series is created and written by BAFTA
award-winning writer Howard Overman, and produced by Urban Myth Films
in partnership with
CANAL+,
Fox Networks Group (FNG) Europe & Africa and
AGC Television.
WAR
OF THE WORLDS
features
a critically acclaimed ensemble cast of Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth
McGovern, Léa Drucker, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar Jones, Stéphane
Caillard, Adel Bencherif and Guillaume Gouix. New cast also announced
include Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron
Heffernan, Emile de Preissac and Alysson Paradis.
Gilles Coulier (De
Dag, Cargo, The Natives) directs
the first four episodes with Richard Clark (Innocent;
Versailles) directing episodes
five to eight.
“We
live in an age of anxiety; identifiable fears are endemic to the
culture. H.G Wells understood collective subliminal and
unconscious fear,” said Gabriel Byrne, leading the ensemble cast.
“In literature, dystopian novels and science fiction has been a
safe place for us to deal with collective terror. But what Wells also
understood is that the greatest threat is not from out there, but
from inside ourselves, and we see in this new telling of the story; a
warning that it is only our own humanity that will save us.”
“If
aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when
Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out
very well for the American Indians." Stephen
Hawking
“This
quote from Stephen Hawking was as much an inspiration for this new
version of War of the Worlds as
H.G. Wells’ original novel. I wanted to explore
the
idea that just like H. G. Wells’ aliens, mankind has an almost
limitless capacity to destroy those it views as inferior or
different. This fresh interpretation of the classic novel places, the
intricacies of human relationships at its heart, whether between
parents and children, lovers, or strangers,” said Writer and
Executive Producer Howard Overman. “Cinematic, with all the mystery
and intrigue of the best science fiction, this adaptation is as much
a character drama as it is an action piece.”
Set-in present-day
Europe, WAR
OF THE WORLDS is
a multi-faceted series, based on the timeless story by H.G.
Wells. When astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy,
it is definitive proof of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. The
world’s population waits for further contact with baited breath.
They do not have to wait long. Within days, mankind is all but
wiped out; just pockets of humanity are left in an eerily deserted
world.
As
alien ships appear in the sky, the survivors ask a burning question –
who are these attackers and why are they hell-bent on our
destruction? This
is a story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances - but
they are more than just victims in a brutal war. For, as we will come
to realize, the aliens’ savage attack on earth is not arbitrary:
its seeds are being sown before our very eyes.
Emotional, cinematic
and rooted in character, WAR
OF THE WORLDS is
a unique marriage of human drama and the best science fiction.
The drama series is
executive produced by Howard Overman, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps
for Urban Myth Films.
“We are very
excited to be working on this extraordinarily ambitious production
with such a great cast and talented creative team,” said Executive
Producer, Johnny Capps.
This bold
recreation is a CANAL+ Creation
Originale and
an original regional scripted commission for FNG, Europe &
Africa. It is set to debut later this year on CANAL+ in France and
will be broadcast on FOX in more than 50 countries across Europe &
Africa.
AGC Television will
distribute WAR
OF THE WORLDS to
the North American market and co-distribute with STUDIOCANAL in
Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East
with FNG Content Distribution handling Europe &
Africa (excluding the French speaking territories).
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