As Showtime places its future on established franchises, the cable channel is going back to a classic of high school science classes. A series adaptation of 1997 film “Gattaca” is in development at the channel.
Although details on the series are being kept under wraps, the show will reportedly hail from Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, who are best known for creating the 2011 drama “Homeland” for Showtime. Gansa is attached to co-create the series with “Dallas Buyers Club” screenwriter and Oscar nominee Craig Borten, and will showrun the series. All three executive produce the series, which comes from Sony Pictures Television.
The directorial debut of Andrew Niccol, the original “Gattaca” film focuses on a near future society where eugenics-based technology is used to ensure children receive the “best” hereditary traits from their parents. Ethan Hawke starred in the film as Vincent, a man born without genetic screening who dreams of becoming an astronaut but is barred due to discrimination and assumes the identity of another man (played by Jude Law) to take part in a mission to Saturn.
The film — which also featured Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Xander Berkeley — opened to muted reception in its initial theatrical release, ultimately grossing $12.5 million domestically compared to a $36 million budget. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction however, and has since become a cult classic, and a standard middle and high school science class watch. A series adaptation of “Gattaca” was reported to be in development all the way back in 2009 at Sony as a police procedural, although nothing ever materialized from the announcement.
News of the “Gattaca” series comes during an odd time for Showtime, which is set to be rebranded as Paramount+ with Showtime at some point in the near future. As the channel has prepared for this revamp, several shows have been canceled, including “American Gigolo” and “Let the Right One In,” as well as “Ripley” and “Three Women,” which have since been rescued by other networks or streamers. Showtime is reportedly pivoting to focus on spin-offs of existing shows or franchises, including their previous hits like “Billions,” “Ray Donovan,” and “Dexter.”
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