Sci Fi TV News: Weekly digest of the recent news and updates relating to sci fi and fantasy television.
A press release dated May 11th has leaked online suggesting that a reboot of the iconic BBC series Doctor Who is on the way with new partners joining the property. Sony Pictures Television and AMC Global will be coming onboard to help produce three new seasons, targeting a 2028 premiere. This is being referred to as a “reboot” with a “newly imagined narrative, refreshed cast, and expanded storytelling scope”. But it does not appear that this will be a ground-up reboot as the memo states the show will be “honoring the core mythology that has defined Doctor Who for decades”. Likely, this indicates a behind the scenes shakeup with new creative talent being brought in to steer the franchise going forward. Not much additional info is available at this time, so stay tuned for further developments.
And while we are waiting for the potential reboot, another Doctor Who adventure is currently on the way. A multimedia tale based on Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor is coming and will start rolling out this Summer. According to ScreenRant, it begins June 25th and will run across “Titan Comics, Doctor Who Magazine, BBC Audiobooks, East Side Games, Puffin, Penguin Random House and Big Finish”. You can see the list of chapters at this link.
An adaptation of the popular British video game Atomfall is currently in the works from Rebellion and Two Brothers Pictures. Deadline gives the following description of the property:
A very UK take on the post‑apocalyptic genre, Atomfall leans heavily into classic British sci‑fi and also draws on folk horror. It is set within a walled and militarized Quarantine Zone in England’s Lake District established after a nuclear incident. The outside world is assumed to be continuing as normal. Life within the zone, meanwhile, has deteriorated into something far stranger. The game follows a protagonist who wakes up inside the Quarantine Zone with no memory of how they arrived.
The Two Brothers writing team of Harry and Jack Williams will be writing the series, while Alex Mercer (Doctor Who) will executive produce, but no network or streaming service is currently attached. Expect this one to draw some interest, though.
James Gunn has confirmed in a Threads post that the Booster Gold TV series and Paradise Lost prequel series are still moving forward with development: “BG is in development. PL is in extreme development”. There has not been much in the way of updates on those, but apparently, plans are still in place. David Jenkins (Out Flag Means Death) is currently writing the pilot for the future hero Booster Gold and he will be showrunner if that goes forward. James Gunn has described Paradise Lost as a Game of Thrones-style series that takes place on the island of Themyscira and follows Wonder Woman’s origins: “How did that come about? What’s the origin of an island of all women? What are the beautiful truths and the ugly truths behind all of that? And what’s the scheming like between the different power players in that society?” There are no target release dates for these at this point, but keep an eye out for more news.
The tales will continue as Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 has been renewed by Netflix for a second season. The first year just premiered last week, and the second is already on the schedule for Fall 2026. You can read more about that at this link.
Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.
Sci Fi TV Premieres:
The Terror (AMC+/Shudder): Pepper is a working-class moving man who, through a combination of bad luck and a bad temper, finds himself wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital – an institution filled with those society would rather forget. There, he must contend with patients working against him, doctors harboring grim secrets, and perhaps even the Devil himself. As Pepper navigates a hellscape where nothing is as it seems, he finds that the only path to freedom is to face the entity which thrives on the suffering within New Hyde’s walls – but doing so may prove that the worst demons of all live inside him. Premieres on Thursday.
Also premiering this week is Citadel Season 2 which drops on Wednesday. You can see the three-month schedule of sci fi and fantasy TV shows at this link at this link.
