By Robbie Graham
SyFy is developing 10 new sci-fi TV projects, five ofwhich will explore contact and conflict with alien life. Io9.com reports that, in addition to Defiance, Syfy is currently working on ambitious small screen projects including:
Ringworld “A story about human explorers traveling to the farthest reaches of space to investigate an alien habitat the size of one million Earths. They crash-land and discover ancient civilizations, miraculous technology, and a possible salvation for Earth.”
Apparently, Syfy considered making a Ringworld miniseries nine years ago, with a different crew. It is now being developed as a four-hour miniseries. The story is based on Larry Niven’s books.
Childhood's End
Also being developed as a mini-series, based on Arthur C. Clarke’s classic novel, Childhood’s End will see a peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival brings all human conflict to an end, turning our planet into a near-utopia.
Upstream Color director Shane Carruth told io9.com he loved Clarke’s book for its unique take on an alien invasion: “even the victims don’t know that they’re victims. It’s a closed loop of a story, to have a race show up and provide everything, and that's the way that they conquer, in a way that nobody would ever recognize or resist.”
The miniseries will be executive produced by Michael DeLuca (The Social Network).
Infinity
“This one starts out with an alien ‘armada’ appearing near Pluto. Earth sends the only interstellar ship we have, created by a billionaire industrialist out of secret alien technology we discovered in the 1960s. But after the ship engages the alien fleet, it falls into a wormhole and winds up in deep uncharted space, searching for a way home.”
Orion
Coming to us via Alphas writers Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes, this series will focus on the character of Orion, “a female relic hunter who tracks down valuable items in space, while also trying to piece together her own mysterious past. And meanwhile, the human race is in the middle of an intergalactic war with an alien race. Orion has special abilities, but she can't decide whether to use them to save herself, or to find the hidden artifacts that could save the human race (no guesses which one she'll choose).”
High Moon
In which the nations of Earth start establishing colonies on the Moon to exploit its valuable natural resources — only to discover “a new form of life,” causing chaos to break out on the lunar surface.
High Moon is to be Executive Produced by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies). The pilot has been written by Jim Danger Gray (also Pushing Daisies).
