Fox has handed a pilot order to a new A.I. thriller drama called ‘neXt’ to ’24’ writer and ’24: Legacy’ co-creator Manny Coto the network has announced.
‘neXt’ is described as a propulsive, fact-based thriller grounded in the latest A.I. research. The show follows a brilliant but paranoid former tech CEO who joins a Homeland Cybersecurity Agent and her team to stop the world’s first artificial intelligence crisis: the emergence of a rogue AI with the ability to continuously improve itself.
Marrying action with a layered examination of how technology is invading our lives and transforming us in ways we don’t yet understand, the series also introduces a villain as we’ve never seen before, one whose greatest weapon against us is ourselves.
Manny Coto wrote the script “on spec” (i.e. without having a studio attached), is no stranger to action and sci-fi elements. Along with the ’24’ franchise, his previous work includes writing and producing ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ and ‘The Outer Limits’, along with creating the brilliant but short-lived ‘Odyssey 5’.
The show will be made by 20th Century Fox TV, with Coto exec producing alongside ‘This Is Us’ directors & exec producers John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. Requa & Ficarra will also direct the pilot through their production company Zaftig Films.
‘neXt’ is only at the pilot stage at the moment, but we’ll let you know if Fox decides to take it to series.