‘Lost In Space’ Series Reboot Comes To Netflix
The phrase “Danger, Will Robinson” will become relevant once again. Netflix announced this week that the company will be creating a new reboot of the Lost in Space TV series, based on the iconic 1960s classic of the same name, and is set to premiere in 2018. The new Lost in Space will once again feature the misadventures of the Robinson family who find themselves circling the universe trying to get back home, but the new series is said to be more “edgier,” according to a report by CNET.
“The original series so deftly captured both drama and comedy, and that made it very appealing to a broad audience,” Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content, said in a statement. “The current creative team’s reimagining of the series for Netflix is sure to appeal to both fans who fondly remember the original and to create a new generation of enthusiasts around the world.”
There’s a Lost In Space reboot coming to Netflix https://t.co/Gd4C3Yyr4I pic.twitter.com/vvxCvyXQiL
— The Verge (@verge) July 1, 2016
The Lost in Space reboot will consist of 10 episodes produced by Legendary Television, with scripts written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharples (Dracula Untold and Last Witch Hunter). The new series will star Prison Break’s Zack Estrin who will also serve as an executive producer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lost in Space has been a long term passion project for Kevin Burns and Jon Jashni of Synthesis Entertainment. The two tried to revise the series as a telepic for NBC years ago. Warner Bros. Television won the bidding war for the project for the 2003-2004 season, but the project was later dropped.
The original Lost in Space series aired on CBS from 1965-1968 and starred Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright, Bill Mumy, and Jonathan Harris and of course B-9, the robot. Produced by 20th Century Fox Television, 83 episodes of the series were aired. Originally named Space Family Robinson, the series’ first season aired in black and white. When ABC scheduled Batman to air during the same time slot as Lost in Space, the show was then filmed in color and was accused of imitating Batman’s outlandish colors and campy style, including a cliff-hanger ending encouraging viewers to revisit the show “same time – same channel.” By the show’s third season, Lost in Space became more of a comedy than a sci-fi adventure show. One episode, “The Great Vegetable Rebellion,” featured a talking carrot and is notorious for being the of “the most insipid and bizarre episodes in television history.” (Below is a clip featuring Johnathan Harris who got turned into a stalk of celery.)
The Netflix project will not be the first reboot of Lost in Space. A live action film of the Irwin Allen series was made in 1998 that starred William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Jack Johnson, Dick Tufeld, Jared Harris, and Friends‘ Matt LeBlanc. Many of the original actors from the series appeared in cameo roles for the movie and Dick Tufeld, who voiced the robot in the TV series, reprised his role as well. However, Jonathan Harris and Billy Mumy chose not to be a part of the project.
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Though the 1998 film was a modest success grossing over $20 million, it was not a hit with critics who complained of the movie’s darker tone, something that the new Netflix series wants to do as well. Hopes of creating a movie star out of LeBlanc were dashed as well. The film was also nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for “Worst Remake or Sequel.”
The new Netflix series joins other new projects including Alias Grace, Marvel’s The Punisher, and Travelers.
[Photo: Getty Images]
