HBO Picks Up ‘Time Traveler’s Wife’ Series From Steven Moffat

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It seems that former ‘Doctor Who’ showrunner Steven Moffat isn’t quite done with the whole “Wibbly-wobbly, timey wimey” stuff yet, as HBO has commisioned a series adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife‘ from the writer/producer.

‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ tells the story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem… time travel. In the novel, the couple first meet when Clare is 6 and Henry was 36… But they are married when Clare is 22 and Henry is 30. Whilst this may seem impossible, it is in fact true. This is due to Henry suffering from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare’s struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

“I read Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife many years ago, and I fell in love with it,” commented Moffat in a statement. “In fact, I wrote a Doctor Who episode called The Girl In The Fireplace as a direct response to it. When, in her next novel, Audrey had a character watching that very episode, I realised she was probably on to me. All these years later, the chance to adapt the novel itself, is a dream come true. The brave new world of long-form television is now ready for this kind of depth and complexity. It’s a story of happy ever after – but not necessarily in that order.”

Moffat will write and exec produce the series alongside Sue Vertue (‘Sherlock’, ‘Coupling’) and Brian Minchin (‘Torchwood’, ‘Doctor Who’). Hartswood Films will produce the show in association with Warner Bros Television for HBO.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Steven Moffat, Hartswood and WBTV on The Time Traveler’s Wife,” adds HBO programming president Casey Bloys. “Steven’s passion is evident in every project he’s written and we are certain that his love and respect for this mesmerizing and textured novel will make it a quintessential HBO series.”

The book was previously adapted into a film in 2009 from Robert Schwentke starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. However, as Moffat comments in his statement, long-form television is probably a better fit for a complex story like this.

HBO has only just commisioned ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife‘ series, so there’s obviously no premiere date yet. It should come to Sky Atlantic when it does air though, so we’ll let you know when we hear more.