Netflix has ordered 10 episodes of "Sense8," a sci-fi series from the Wachowskis and "Babylon 5" creator J. Michael Straczynski.
Netflix said the series, "a gripping global tale of minds linked and souls hunted," will be available for viewing in late 2014.
The series marks the first television project for the "Matrix" trilogy and "Cloud Atlas" directors, and adds to Netflix's growing slate of original shows. That slate includes this year's "House of Cards" and new episodes of "Arrested Development" coming in May.
Andy and Lana Wachowski said in a statement that they have "wanted to work with Joe Straczynski for years, chiefly due to the fact his name is harder to pronounce than ours, but also because we share a love of genre and all things nerdy."
"Several years ago, we had a late night conversation about the ways technology simultaneously unites and divides us, and out of that paradox 'Sense8' was born," they added.
The Wachowskis are starting production next month on their new sci-fi adventure "Jupiter Ascending" for Warner Brothers, starring Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis.
"We are proud to be working with Netflix on this new series,” said Straczynski. “Lana, Andy, and I are fans of each other’s creations, and have been looking for something to do together for nearly a decade.”
Added Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, "Andy and Lana Wachowski and Joe Straczynski are among the most imaginative writers and gifted visual storytellers of our time.”
The series is being produced by Georgeville Television, in association with Studio JMS. Georgeville Television is a Reliance Entertainment company and independent television studio, formed by producer Marc Rosen in partnership with Leon Clarance and Deepak Nayar. It is also producing NBC’s "Crossbones," starring John Malkovich.
Rosen, Clarance, and Nayar will serve as executive producers on "Sense8."
Studio JMS, launched last year by Straczynski and CEO Patricia Tallman, was founded to produce a wide range of film, television, comics and other media properties. In addition to "The Flickering Light," Straczynski’s film directorial debut, it is producing "Ten Grand," a new series debuting in May.
