Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes is set to direct a ten-part series based on the novel and audio book Deathlands. The series is being produced by NextCypher, which was set up by crypto pioneer Jeff Garzik. The film is described it as “Mad Max: Fury Road meets Yellowjackets in an epic post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.”
The story is set in “a post-Apocalyptic world 100 years after a nuclear exchange between U.S. and Soviet Union, in which a mutated, crazed civilization is beginning to reemerge.” It follows “Ryan Cawthor and a band of survivors, who travel the ‘Deathlands’ using a teleportation technology they have uncovered.”
The Deathlands novel series comes from James Axler, which was first published in 1986. This sounds like an exciting project for Frakes to take on. While it’s always fun to see Frakes work on Star Trek, It’s cool to see him break away from that and take on something different!
Frakes said in a statement: “One of the things that I find so compelling about Deathlands is that it’s a series about hope and the chance to build a better world,” he said. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring this show, combining feature level action and compelling character drama, to the world.”
Mark A. Altman (Pandora, Agent X) is the showrunner and executive producer of the series. Thomas P. Vitale (Slasher, 57 Seconds) and Garzik are also executive producers.
Altman said: “With a series that is gritty, suspenseful, and action-packed, with a sense of hope, romance, and resilience in the face of adversity, I cannot imagine anyone better to bring Deathlands to the screen than visionary director, Jonathan Frakes. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have him onboard to ensure the series will be appointment television for viewers everywhere.”
NextCypher is developing several other projects that include a “action-packed, futuristic, terrestrial-based sci-fi series” titled Looking Glass. They are also developing “several procedurals” that “meet the needs of the marketplace.
When talking about the company and what is is looking to accomplish, Garzick said: “I launched NextCypher to capitalize on the appetite for innovative, high-quality genre entertainment. I’m glad to see the market aligning with our vision of producing smartly budgeted, and exceptional content for a global audience. Deathlands is an ideal launchpad for us, especially considering the success of similar post-apocalyptic series based on successful IPs like The Last of Us and the eagerly anticipated Fallout.”
Source: Deadline
