John Scalzi's Star Trek Parody Novel Redshirts Coming to TV

MarlaDesat

New member
Aug 22, 2013
733
0
0
John Scalzi's Star Trek Parody Novel Redshirts Coming to TV



FX is developing a limited series based on Redshirts, the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award.

confirmed on Twitter [http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/redshirts-novel-tv-series-fx/] that he will be consulting on the show as well as being an executive producer. FX is currently looking for writers for the series.

The novel follows Ensign Andrew Dahl, a new member of the crew of the Intrepid starship. Dahl and the other ensigns begin to realize that all away missions seem to follow a strange set of rules, including the death of at least one low-ranking crewmember. Redshirts was published in June 2012 and won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The audiobook version [http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/04/02/redshirts-audiobook-news-tabletop/] is read by actor Wil Wheaton. No casting announcements have been made for the television adaptation of the novel, but given the novel's many homages to Star Trek and other well-loved science fiction series, we can hope that the producers will approach some sci-fi fan favorites.

The novel and upcoming television series should not be confused with digital distributors [http://www.redshirtgame.com/].

Source: Deadline [http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/redshirts-novel-tv-series-fx/]


Permalink
 

Stupidity

New member
Sep 21, 2013
146
0
0
Could certainly be made into a fun series, it would need to get the atmosphere and pacing just right though.

Also you'd never get more than one or two seasons out of it. Which is fine with me but if it is a success you know they will try and ruin it. Unless Scalzi writes up a sequel or something.

Oh and id much rather some more qualified people tried to make any of his other work into a series. Old Mans War would be $%^&ing amazing if done decently (Although it will never happen as 99% of producers are vapid greedy cowards that fear anything not just a formulaic pile of excrement with a new coat of paint on it).
 

Owyn_Merrilin

New member
May 22, 2010
7,370
0
0
So space based sci-fi is finally coming back to TV... as a parodic miniseries? Why does this stuff keep happening? The last time we got a light hearted fantasy show was Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, which was also a parody and only got one extremely short season. Then there was that comedy about astronauts or whatever it was around the same time, which I'm pretty sure was the last new space based sci-fi /period/ that wasn't called Doctor Who, and that's more time based than space based anyway.

Not that I think Redshirts will be bad, I'd just like some speculative fiction of some variety that's neither grimdark nor a parody. Is that too much to ask? At least there's still the second season of Defiance to look forward to.
 
Jan 12, 2012
2,114
0
0
Stupidity said:
Also you'd never get more than one or two seasons out of it. Which is fine with me but if it is a success you know they will try and ruin it. Unless Scalzi writes up a sequel or something.
I could see them getting 3 seasons of 12-16 episodes:
Season 1: Set-up of the series, played mostly straight with creeping hints of the true nature of the ship. Standard sci-fi plots, with the characters noticing the recycling of sets/plotlines, the narrativium, etc. Ends with the dramatic reveal that it's all a show.

Season 2: The main cast try to deal with the revelation and try to figure out how to survive. Ends with them going through the portal to the real world.

Season 3: Them trying to get the show to change, and the conclusion of the series arc. Probably will have a fair number of filler episodes.

Also, I want to see Nathan Fillion as the captain. If we need a square-jawed space hero with just a bit too much overacting, he's our man.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
15,489
0
0
Thunderous Cacophony said:
Also, I want to see Nathan Fillion as the captain. If we need a square-jawed space hero with just a bit too much overacting, he's our man.
Wouldn't he be better as the guy who always gets injured but narrowly survives?

OT: This has great possibilities. I hope they make it work.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
24,759
0
0
Stupidity said:
Also you'd never get more than one or two seasons out of it.
They said limited series. Which means it's probably already going to be a fixed number of episodes.

I'd say 12 would be more than enough to give it a solid treatment without bogging it down.

Thunderous Cacophony said:
Also, I want to see Nathan Fillion as the captain. If we need a square-jawed space hero with just a bit too much overacting, he's our man.
True. The only better choice would be literally cloning William Shatner.
 

Furism

New member
Sep 10, 2009
132
0
0
I hope this is successful because, although I loved the book and wonder how they're going to translate it to TV (please don't make 50 episodes where each time a Redshirt dies) ; what I really want to see is Old Man's War as a TV show. A mix of BSG and Starship Troopers? Yes please!
 
Jan 12, 2012
2,114
0
0
FalloutJack said:
Thunderous Cacophony said:
Also, I want to see Nathan Fillion as the captain. If we need a square-jawed space hero with just a bit too much overacting, he's our man.
Wouldn't he be better as the guy who always gets injured but narrowly survives?

OT: This has great possibilities. I hope they make it work.
That guy was pretty weedy in the book; I always pictured him as someone like Wesley Crusher. Meanwhile, the captain was a stereotypical captain: bombastic, two-fisted pulp hero. That's got Fillion all over it.
 

Stupidity

New member
Sep 21, 2013
146
0
0
Owyn_Merrilin said:
Not that I think Redshirts will be bad, I'd just like some speculative fiction of some variety that's neither grimdark nor a parody. Is that too much to ask?
Yes, it is too much to ask.
I have come to the conclusion we will not see real sci-fi on TV or at theaters till all the current producers die or retire.
The problem seems to be the "speculative" part. The current crop are incapable of producing something that isnt one of three things.

1)Post Apocalyptic
2)Dystopian Orwellian State
3)Environmental catastrophe.

Its why Star Trek/Wars have no modern competition and why we never see works like "Iain M. Banks, Culture" made into anything, because it doesn't push their weird dystopia agenda/fetish. Examples: Oblivion, After Earth, The Matrix, Every Zombie Movie, Battlestar Galactica, Fallen Skies, Defiance. It seems impossible for a show/movie that speculates on the future to exist.

Only hope seems to be the upcoming "Honorverse" movie and that's more "Naval Ships in Space" than speculative. Also id bet money there either gonna rewrite it so that global warming is the real enemy or just have huge production problems.
 

FalloutJack

Bah weep grah nah neep ninny bom
Nov 20, 2008
15,489
0
0
Thunderous Cacophony said:
FalloutJack said:
Thunderous Cacophony said:
Also, I want to see Nathan Fillion as the captain. If we need a square-jawed space hero with just a bit too much overacting, he's our man.
Wouldn't he be better as the guy who always gets injured but narrowly survives?

OT: This has great possibilities. I hope they make it work.
That guy was pretty weedy in the book; I always pictured him as someone like Wesley Crusher. Meanwhile, the captain was a stereotypical captain: bombastic, two-fisted pulp hero. That's got Fillion all over it.
You know what? Yes. That makes total sense to me now.
 

UltimatheChosen

New member
Mar 6, 2009
1,007
0
0
Owyn_Merrilin said:
Not that I think Redshirts will be bad, I'd just like some speculative fiction of some variety that's neither grimdark nor a parody. Is that too much to ask? At least there's still the second season of Defiance to look forward to.
They're currently working on a pilot for a TV adaptation of the Expanse series. If it gets picked up, it'll be exactly what you're looking for.
 

Owyn_Merrilin

New member
May 22, 2010
7,370
0
0
UltimatheChosen said:
Owyn_Merrilin said:
Not that I think Redshirts will be bad, I'd just like some speculative fiction of some variety that's neither grimdark nor a parody. Is that too much to ask? At least there's still the second season of Defiance to look forward to.
They're currently working on a pilot for a TV adaptation of the Expanse series. If it gets picked up, it'll be exactly what you're looking for.
I'll have to look out for that. There hasn't been a new sci-fi series I've really liked since NuBSG came on to the scene and turned everything into crappy soap operas. Aside from Defiance, and the seasons on that one are so far apart that it barely counts.
 

tangoprime

Renegade Interrupt
May 5, 2011
716
0
0
Stupidity said:
Oh and id much rather some more qualified people tried to make any of his other work into a series. Old Mans War would be $%^&ing amazing if done decently (Although it will never happen as 99% of producers are vapid greedy cowards that fear anything not just a formulaic pile of excrement with a new coat of paint on it).
Seriously... I'd LOVE to see Old Man's War adapted decently for TV or Movie. On that note, why the hell has nobody made The Forever War into a feature film yet? Both of these could definitely cater to the current gritty realism trend, but would also be outstanding speculative fiction with stories that work well.
Edit: Nevermind, Ridley Scott is in the process of getting The Forever War made. Not sure if this is a good thing or not:
http://io9.com/5187373/james-camerons-avatar-influences-ridley-scotts-forever-war