From his Hyperion Cantos novels to his seminal Summer of Night and beyond, author Dan Simmons has provided readers with thought-provoking horror, science-fiction, and fantasy for decades. Now AMC is moving forward with a 10-episode anthology series adaptation of Simmons’ The Terror, which follows an arctic expedition crew stalked by something as mysterious as it is deadly.
Press Release: NEW YORK, NY, March 2, 2016 – AMC today announced that it has greenlit a new anthology drama series called “The Terror,” an adaption of the bestselling novel by Dan Simmons. Scott Free, Emjag Productions and Entertainment 360 are producing the series in association with AMC Studios.
Written by David Kajganich (“True Story,” “A Bigger Splash”), who will also serve as co-showrunner with Soo Hugh (“The Whispers,” “The Killing”), the series is set in 1847, when a Royal Naval expedition crew searching for the Northwest Passage is attacked by a mysterious predator that stalks the ships and their crew in a suspenseful and desperate game of survival.
Executive producers are Ridley Scott (“The Good Wife,” “The Man In The High Castle”) and David W. Zucker (“The Good Wife,” “The Man In The High Castle”) of Scott Free, Alexandra Milchan (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) and Scott Lambert (“Paranoia”), both of whom are principals at Emjag Productions, and Guymon Casady (“Game of Thrones,” “Steve Jobs”) of Entertainment 360, the content arm of Management 360. AMC has ordered 10 one-hour episodes with an expected premiere date in 2017.
“We’ve been focused on developing this incredible story for television with these great partners for a couple of years, and we think it provides rich dramatic material but also an opportunity to explore the anthology format, which is something we’re extremely interested in and offers some unique possibilities,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Originality is still something that gets our attention every day, and the very unique mixing of historical non-fiction with a gripping and imaginative science fiction overlay in Dan’s novel is something that we hadn’t seen before. That, combined with an exceptional team behind the project made this something we really wanted to bring to air on AMC.”
“Dan’s novel is that rare combination of fascinating actual history, ground-breaking genre storytelling, and the complex character work of literature,” Kajganich said. “The chance to launch a series that will incorporate all of these elements going forward, and with a team of this caliber, is extraordinary.”
“As a long-time fan of Dan Simmons, the opportunity to join this project is a dream come true,” Hugh said. “We look forward to bringing this story to life for the passionate AMC audience.”
About Scott Free Productions
Scott Free Productions is the film and television production company of acclaimed film director Ridley Scott. In the 20 years since Scott Free was formed, the company has earned over 70 Emmy nominations with 20 wins, and 20 Golden Globe nominations for its highly acclaimed television projects, which include: the Peabody Award-winning “The Good Wife,” which is in its seventh and final season on CBS; a series adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s classic “The Man in the High Castle” for Amazon; the Civil War medical drama “Mercy Street,” PBS’ first scripted series in over a decade; “BrainDead” a satiric-thriller CBS summer series from Robert and Michelle King; and the acclaimed “Killing” telefilms (“Killing Kennedy” “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Jesus”) for National Geographic, each of which premiered to record numbers for the channel. Current productions in 2016 include: “Taboo” for FX and BBC; “Killing Reagan” for National Geographic; “The Terror” for AMC; “Sensory” for CBS; and “JCVJ” for Amazon.
About Emjag Productions
Emjag Productions is the film and television production company of principals Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert. Alexandra Milchan is a 20+ year veteran of the business, having worked as both an Independent Producer and an executive at New Regency Productions (a family company). As a producer, Alexandra’s credits include “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List,” “Paranoia,” and “Bullet to the The Head.” Scott Lambert is a veteran film executive and producer. Prior to joining Emjag, Scott was a part of FILM 360, the production arm of Los Angeles-based Management 360, and was previously President of the Business Group and Executive Vice President of Production at Relativity Media where he was involved with hits such as the Oscar-winning “The Fighter” and “Limitless.” Prior to that, Lambert worked as Executive Vice President at the William Morris Agency (1994-2008) where he represented major television and film talent including Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer Sutherland and Sylvester Stallone.
About Entertainment 360
Entertainment 360 originates, packages, develops and produces a wide variety of film and television projects including HBO’s Emmy-winning hit television series “Game of Thrones,” and Danny Boyle’s “Steve Jobs,” which garnered Oscar nominations for Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet. Entertainment 360’s upcoming production slate includes “Office Christmas Party,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, at DreamWorks Pictures; the film adaptation of “Lifeboat” with a screenplay by Bill Broyles, to be directed by Joe Wright with Anne Hathaway starring for Working Title and Focus Features; “Cowboy Ninja Viking” to star Chris Pratt at Universal; “Dope Girls”, an MTV series starring Scout Durwood and Jessica Rothe; Chris Case’s family comedy starring Becki Newton at FOX; and “Shovel Buddies,” a coming of age comedy produced with Awesomeness TV, from a Black List screenplay by Jason Mark Hellerman, starring Bella Thorne and a cast of social-media stars, which will make its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival.
About AMC
Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade, or creating acclaimed original programming, AMC brings to its audience something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network reigns as the only cable network in history ever to win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row with “Mad Men,” and six of the last eight with back-to-back honoree “Breaking Bad.” The network boasts the most-watched drama series in basic cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last four years with “The Walking Dead.” AMC’s current original drama series include “The Walking Dead,” “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands” and the forthcoming “The Night Manager,” “Feed the Beast,” “Preacher” and “The Son.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men” and the upcoming “Ride with Norman Reedus” and “The American West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Something More.
