Sci Fi TV News: Weekly digest of the recent news and updates relating to sci fi and fantasy television.
While many people would prefer that Seth McFarlane focus his attention on a fourth season of The Orville, he is instead turning his attention to starting up a different major franchise on television. He is working on a Dungeon Crawler Carl series, based on the books of the same name by Matt Dinniman, at the Peacock streaming service. Following is the logline for the show:
An alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity and any survivors are forced to fight for their lives on a sadistic intergalactic game show. Sounds bad, right? Now try doing it with bare feet and a stuck-up, self-centered, tiara-wearing talking cat as your partner. Welcome to Dungeon Crawler World: Earth, where the apocalypse will be televised … and Coast Guard vet Carl finds himself stuck with his ex-girlfriend’s award-winning show cat, Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, as they try to survive the end of the world, fighting monsters, aliens, an insane A.I. and even other survivors … all for the sake of good TV. Survival is optional. Entertainment is not.
Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok) will be writing the series while McFarlane will be onboard as executive producer. Production is moving forward on this and it will likely be looking at a 2027 premiere.
Apple Original Films is working on the movie Liminal based on the graphic novel Telepaths by J. Michael Straczynski, Steve Epting, and Brian Reber. That focuses on a world thrown into chaos when a sudden event grants telepathic powers to a tenth of the population, forcing both authorities and newly empowered individuals to navigate fear, persecution, and the struggle for control in a rapidly changing society. Vanessa Kirby (The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Wonder Man) are set to star in the film, and Louis Leterrier (The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance) will direct. A target premiere date on the streaming service has not been set yet.
Himesh Patel (Station Eleven) has been set as the male lead opposite Danielle Deadwyler (Watchmen) in the upcoming X-Files reboot in the works from Ryan Coogler. Following is the official logline for the series:
Two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena.
This one has been in production for a while and could premiere in early 2027.
In additional casting news, James Wolk (Watchmen), Dylan Arnold (Oppenheimer), Josh Randall (Station 19) and Chad Willett (Supernatural) have been cast in the upcoming The Boy‘s prequel series Vought Rising joining Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash. You can read more about their roles at this link.
In production news, filming has begun on the third season of HBO’s The Last of Us. That will be the show’s final season, and it will likely premiere at some point in 2027.
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 This Week:
The Boys (Prime Video): Homelander’s world, completely subject to his erratic, egomaniacal whims. Hughie, Mother’s Milk, and Frenchie are imprisoned in a “Freedom Camp.” Annie struggles to mount a resistance against the overwhelming Supe force. Kimiko is nowhere to be found. But when Butcher reappears, ready and willing to use a virus that will wipe all Supes off the map, he sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the world and everyone in it. It’s the climax, people. The first two episodes will be available on Wednesday.
Also premiering this week is Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (Monday on Disney+), The Testaments (Wednesday on Hulu), and The Miniature Wife (Thursday on Peacock). You can see the full schedule at this link.
