Animation studio Submarine has begun development on an adaptation of Matt Haig (Reasons to Stay Alive) ‘s Echo Boy, Deadline has reported. In addition, the studio has started filming for season 2 of their Amazon drama series Undone.
Echo Boy is a 2014 science fiction murder mystery novel. In the novel, teenager Audrey Castle lives with her parents and an Echo, a part of a series of simple housekeeping robots. After their Echo murders her parents, Audrey is left alone in the world – until she meets a runaway prototype Echo who can think and feel. The Echo, named Daniel, tries to help Audrey discover the truth behind her parents’ deaths as she wrestles with whether or not to trust him and her own biases.
Femke Wolting, producer of films such as Last Hijack and co-founder of Submarine, is shopping the series to writers before taking it to any studio. Tommy Pallotta (A Skanner Darkly), who co-developed the unique form of animation used in works such as Undone, will also collaborate on Echo Boy. Haig told Deadline that he thinks Submarine is the best studio to adapt his novel: “It is a novel with a level of scope and ambition which needs to be factored into the adaptation, and I am confident Submarine’s visual flair and imaginative creativity make them equal to the challenge. It is the perfect home.”
While Echo Boy is still early in development, Submarine recently finished filming the first two episodes of the second season of Undone. Even with the difficulties in trying to film during the COVID-19 pandemic, Undone is easier to film due to its hybrid nature. The series is created through rotroscoping, in which live-action portions are filmed and then drawn over by animators. Therefore, the live-action filming does not need the same amount of effort or people as more traditional productions require, and the animation can be done remotely.
Undone follows Alma, played by Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel), as she travels through time to learn why and how her father died. It is unknown when the second season will premiere.