Fox Releases “First Look” Images Of Reimagined ‘War Of The Worlds’ Series Starring Gabriel Byrne & Elizabeth McGovern
Fox has released some “first look” images of Urban Myth Films’ upcoming tv series reimagining of ‘War Of The Worlds‘, from ‘Misfits’ creator Howard Overman, with a critically-acclaimed ensemble cast include Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern.
Set-in present-day Europe, ‘War Of The Worlds’ is a multi-faceted series, based on the timeless story by H.G. Wells. When astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy, it is definitive proof of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. The world’s population waits for further contact with bated breath. They do not have to wait long. Within days, mankind is all but wiped out; just pockets of humanity are left in an eerily deserted world.
As alien ships appear in the sky, the survivors ask a burning question – who are these attackers and why are they hell-bent on our destruction? This is a story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances – but they are more than just victims in a brutal war. For, as we will come to realize, the aliens’ savage attack on earth is not arbitrary: its seeds are being sown before our very eyes.
The 8-episode, hour-long drama is created by BAFTA award-winning writer Howard Overman, whose previous work includes ‘Misfits’, ‘Atlantis’, ‘Crazyhead’ and ‘Merlin’. The series is exec produced by Emmy Award-winning team, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, and is a major co-production between CANAL+, Fox Networks Group, Europe & Africa and AGC Television. You can see the “first look” images below:
“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the American Indians.” Stephen Hawking
“This quote from Stephen Hawking was as much an inspiration for this new version of War of the Worlds as H.G. Wells’ original novel. I wanted to explore the idea that just like H. G. Wells’ aliens, mankind has an almost limitless capacity to destroy those it views as inferior or different. This fresh interpretation of the classic novel places, the intricacies of human relationships at its heart, whether between parents and children, lovers, or strangers,” said Writer and Executive Producer Howard Overman. “Cinematic, with all the mystery and intrigue of the best science fiction, this adaptation is as much a character drama as it is an action piece.”
‘War Of The Worlds’ features a critically acclaimed ensemble cast of Gabriel Byrne (‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘Maniac’, ‘Vikings’), Elizabeth McGovern (‘Downton Abbey’), Léa Drucker (‘Le Bureau des Légendes’, ‘Custody’), Natasha Little (‘Absentia’, ‘Silent Witness’), Daisy Edgar Jones (‘Cold Feet’, ‘Silent Witness’, ‘Gentleman Jack’), Stéphane Caillard (‘Genius’, ‘Marseille’), Adel Bencherif (‘The Little Drummer Girl’, ‘London Has Fallen’) and Guillaume Gouix (‘The Returned’).
“We live in an age of anxiety; identifiable fears are endemic to the culture. H.G Wells understood collective subliminal and unconscious fear,” said Gabriel Byrne, leading the ensemble cast. “In literature, dystopian novels and science fiction has been a safe place for us to deal with collective terror. But what Wells also understood is that the greatest threat is not from out there, but from inside ourselves, and we see in this new telling of the story; a warning that it is only our own humanity that will save us.”
New cast also announced today include Ty Tennant (son of former ‘Doctor Who’, David Tennant), Stephen Campbell Moore (‘Traitors’, ‘The Wrong Mans’), Bayo Gbadamosi (‘Doctor Who’, ‘Casualty’), Aaron Heffernan (‘Love/Hate’, ‘Mum’), Emile de Preissac (‘Spiral’, ‘The Chalet’) and Alysson Paradis (‘Paper Flags’, ‘Un jour de lucidité’). Gilles Coulier (‘De Dag’, ‘Cargo’, ‘The Natives’) directs the first four episodes with Richard Clark (‘Innocent’, ‘Versailles’) directing episodes five to eight.
‘War Of The Worlds‘ is set to premiere later in 2019 on CANAL+ in France and will be broadcast on FOX in more than 50 countries across Europe & Africa, including the UK. AGC Television will distribute the series to the North American market and co-distribute with STUDIOCANAL in Latin America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East with FNG Content Distribution handling Europe & Africa (excluding the French-speaking territories).
