Project puts a modern spin on H.G. Wells’ ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’ and is the latest of the development deals announced by Gunpowder & Sky’s sci-fi label; time travel feature film ‘Time Agent’ and ‘Last Exit: Space,’ a new documentary exploring mankind’s push to colonize space, are also in the works.
DUST, Gunpowder & Sky’s sci-fi label, has announced it is developing Moreau, a sci-fi TV series that puts a modern spin on the classic novel, “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” by H.G. Wells. Zack Stentz (X-Men: First Class, Thor, Rim of The World, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is attached to write the series.
"The double helix wasn’t even a twinkle in Watson & Crick’s eye when H.G. Wells first wrote ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau,’ but his 1896 novel proved astonishingly prescient about how unlocking the secrets of DNA would open the door to humanity playing God with the natural world in strange and frightening ways,” commented Stentz. “And now, in the shadow of the CRISPR revolution, it felt like the perfect time to revisit Moreau and bring it into our own 21st Century world of transgenic animals, designer babies and other scientific advances Wells never could have dreamed of. I'm delighted to be working with Eric, Geoff & the Gunpowder & Sky team to welcome a whole new generation to the good doctor's terrifying island.”
Moreau focuses on world-renowned scientist Dr. Jessica Moreau, whose pioneering work in genetic engineering catches the eye of a billionaire backer willing to stop at nothing to reach the next step of human evolution.
“Zack took a time-honored classic and brought it into the 21st century,” noted Gunpowder & Sky SVP Eric Bromberg. “Together, we’re creating a story that’s scarily befitting of today’s world, filled with seemingly limitless, and oftentimes alarming, scientific advancements. Frankenstein and Doudna have nothing on Jessica Moreau.”
Stentz is represented by Circle of Confusion, a management and production company that partnered with Gunpowder & Sky in April to develop and produce feature films and series; their projects are sourced from writers, directors and producers who have had their work released on DUST or ALTER, their sci-fi and horror brands, respectively.
“This series gives us a chance to work with Zack, one of the most prolific writers in the business,” added Gunpowder & Sky executive producer, Geoffrey James Clark. “We couldn’t have genetically engineered a better writer for this project and can’t wait to take sci-fi fans on a wild ride with Zack driving.”
This news comes on the heels of a series of announcements from DUST including the recent team up with John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, John Davis (Predator), and Black Label Media (Sicario, La La Land) on Time Agent, a time travel feature film. In September, a partnership was announced with filmmaker, Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Encounters at the End of the World, Into The Inferno) and his son, Rudolph Herzog (How to Fake a War, The Heist) to produce Last Exit: Space, a new documentary. Also, in September, Season 3 launched their popular podcast series, DUST, starring and executive produced by Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, 6 Underground, Macbeth), and co-starring Toni Collette (United States of Tara, Hereditary).
In July Gunpowder & Sky acquired the worldwide rights to the UFC inception documentary UFC 1: Origins of the Octagon. Premiering this fall, the feature film traces the roots of the pro-MMA league back to its tumultuous first event in 1993. DUST also launched the first-ever live streaming premiere of the sci-fi/thriller, Sea Fever, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and is now available on Hulu.
Source: Gunpowder & Sky
