Back in 2013, sci-fi fans fell in love with Snowpiercer, Bon Joon Ho’s adaptation of the popular graphic novel. A gritty look at a frozen, dystopian future where the survivors live on a giant, constantly moving train, it was equal parts inventive and unsettling. With an ending that will stay with viewers for a long, long time, it wasn’t necessarily one of those films that you’ll want to rewatch again and again. Yes, Tilda Swinton was absolutely incredible and Chris Evans proved that he was capable of more than just Captain America, but Snowpiercer was the opposite of a feel-good film. In spite of this, TNT is hoping that fans will be willing to tune in on a weekly basis for a television series adaptation.
There were rumors of the project way back in 2015, but in a press release today, TNT announced more concrete plans.
TNT, a division of Turner, has ordered a pilot for Snowpiercer, a futuristic thriller based on the award-winning film by Bong Joon Ho. A co-production of Tomorrow Studios and Turner’s Studio T, the hour-long drama pilot is being executive-produced by writer-showrunner Josh Friedman (Avatar 4, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein (Aquarius, Prison Break, Teen Wolf) and Becky Clements (Good Behavior, Aquarius, Last Man Standing), and the original film’s Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi, along with CJ Entertainment.
TNT might not the best obvious choice for such a violent and nihilistic tale about class warfare and cannibalism (our hero knows that babies taste best), but they at least sound dedicated to preserving the integrity of the original story.
“Snowpiercer has one of the most original concepts to hit the screen in the last decade, and it’s one that offers numerous opportunities for deeper exploration in a series format,” said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. “We look forward to expanding TNT’s relationship with Tomorrow Studios and their take on a world where humanity is pushed to the extreme.”
Sidenote: is Alison Pill available to reprise her role singing horrific nursery rhymes to children?
