Homeland co-creators/executive producers Alex Gansa (24, Beauty and the Beast) and Howard Gordon (The X-Files, 24) are making their return to SHOWTIME with their new series based on the 1997 movie Gattaca, according to Deadline. The upcoming series is set to take place one generation after the events of the original film.
In this new world of Gattaca, science and humanity have advanced to the point where genetic engineering is used to direct evolution. Parents can now determine the future of their children before they are born, creating a new class system where the “Valids” hold an advantage over the “Invalids,” who are no longer discriminated against based on social status or skin color.
According to Variety, this is not the first time that a series adaptation of Gattaca has been attempted. In 2009, Sony Pictures Television reportedly developed a police procedural adaptation of Gattaca, but the project never moved forward.
The original Gattaca film, released in 1997, was a dystopian film starring Uma Thurman (Kill Bill, My Super Ex-Girlfriend) and Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Tesla), along with Jude Law (A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Sherlock Holmes), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, Dumbo), and others stars. In the film Gattaca, society shortly has developed the ability to screen individuals for genetic defects through eugenics. This has led to the creation of a lower class of people known as “Invalids,” who are deemed to be genetically inferior and face discrimination and limited opportunities. The story follows Vincent Freeman, an Invalid who dreams of becoming an astronaut, as he assumes the identity of a genetically superior Valid to pursue his goals.
Gansa and Gordon are executive producers on the series, along with Glenn Geller (Accused, America’s Most Wanted) who heads their SPT-based company, and Danny DeVito (Matilda, Batman Returns) who produced the original 1997 film written and directed by Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show, In Time).
Stay tuned for more details about the upcoming SHOWTIME adaptation series Gattaca.