AMC has greenlighted the new 10-part anthology drama series “The Terror,” an adaptation of Dan Simmons’ best-selling novel.
Scott Free, Emjag Productions and Entertainment 360 will produce the hour-long drama, in association with AMC Studios. “The Terror” plans to premiere in 2017.
Written by David Kajganich, who will also serve as co-showrunner with Soo Hugh, the series is set in 1847, when a Royal Naval expedition crew searching for the Northwest Passage is attacked by a mysterious predator that stalks the ships and their crew in a suspenseful and desperate game of survival.
Executive producers are Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Alexandra Milchan, Scott Lambert and Guymon Casady.
“We’ve been focused on developing this incredible story for television with these great partners for a couple of years, and we think it provides rich dramatic material but also an opportunity to explore the anthology format, which is something we’re extremely interested in and offers some unique possibilities,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Originality is still something that gets our attention every day, and the very unique mixing of historical nonfiction with a gripping and imaginative science fiction overlay in Dan’s novel is something that we hadn’t seen before.”
“Dan’s novel is that rare combination of fascinating actual history, groundbreaking genre storytelling, and the complex character work of literature,” Kajganich said. “The chance to launch a series that will incorporate all of these elements going forward, and with a team of this caliber, is extraordinary.”
“As a long-time fan of Dan Simmons, the opportunity to join this project is a dream come true,” Hugh said. “We look forward to bringing this story to life for the passionate AMC audience.”