By FX’s “Alien: Earth” launching next month appears to be just the start of a wave of TV series continuations or reboots of old films from filmmakers Ridley Scott and his late brother Tony Scott.
David W. Zucker, CCO at Scott Free Productions, says both “Alien: Earth” next month and Amazon Prime’s Michelle Yeoh-led “Blade Runner 2099” next year mark the first time in his 24 years with the company that they’ve adapted any of the Scott brothers’ films for television.
Appearing at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Zucker tells Variety that the company is now exploring other works in the pair’s filmographies that would be ripe for further exploration or reinvention for television.
One of the reasons they’re doing this is a shift in the mindsets of the studios and streamers. The increase in TV spend, the lower cost of visual effects, and the potential to tell stories on a scale that couldn’t be achieved even a few years ago have all been contributing factors:
“We are looking at a number of different [Ridley and Tony Scott movie titles] right now, and the point of entry is really: ‘What is its reason to be?’ because while it’s certainly [the case that] IP is ruling the day, and those titles all have different potential values and degrees of familiarity, it still comes down to what’s the foundational premise and concept for a piece that really merits it being brought forward now. And so that kind of development in some ways is the same as original development. It gives you some source from which to build, potentially, but how much of that proves applicable remains to be seen.
With each of those titles, it requires more hurdles out of the gate, because you have to align with the controlling studio and making sure that rights are available, and it demands a partnership and a mutual interest and an alignment going forward. But there are a few of them that we’re exploring now that I think could have some great potential. By end of summer, I think we’ll know if we have some traction going forward with them.”
One that likely won’t be included is Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire” as Netflix and New Regency have already shot a new TV series adaptation of the original book, as opposed to a remake of the film, so Scott Free isn’t involved.
The company’s resume of TV series is impressive, spanning shows like “The Good Wife,” “The Good Fight,” “The Man in the High Castle,” Raised by Wolves,” “The Terror,” “Taboo,” “The Pillars of the Earth,” and “The Andromeda Strain”. They most recently produced “Dope Thief” and “Prime Target” for the Apple TV+ service.
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