I’ll say it again, Syfy is bringing sexy sci-fi back. As per THR Syfy is planning to adapt the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 3001: The Last Odyssey into a miniseries. Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean) is set to write the script and executive produce alongside Ridley Scott (do I really have to tell you what he’s done?) and David W. Zucker (The Good Wife). That’s a pretty solid team and marks the second miniseries adaptation of Clarke’s work by Syfy along with the previously announced Childhood’s End.
The basic plot of the final novel concerns the discovery of the frozen body of astronaut Frank Poole, who was killed in 2001, floating in the Kuiper belt. He’s returned to Earth and revived on the eve of a major event that has ramifications for the survival of humanity – the alien creators of the monoliths, first discovered observing humanity in 2001, are returning to pass judgement on mankind.
3001: The Final Odyssey, the fourth and final book in Clarke’s Space Odyssey series, was published in 1997 and has never been adapted for the big or small screen. The first in the series is 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (the novel of which was actually published after the movie) and needs no introduction as the movie (directed by Stanley Kubrick) is widely regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time and introduced one of film’s most iconic and regularly quoted villains – HAL-9000. The second book in the series, 1982’s 2010: Odyssey Two, was adapted in 1984 with the movie 2010 aka 2010: The Year We Make Contact. The third book, 1987’s 2061: Odyssey Three, has (also) never been adapted, although Tom Hanks was previously linked to an adaptation of the work.
Syfy has taken on the final chapter of an immensely influential work, but with a good team behind it. Do you think they can do this justice or are you… cough cough… afraid they can’t do that. This news piece can serve no purpose any more. Goodbye.
Last Updated: November 4, 2014