Sci-fi anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams will stream on Amazon in America with Bryan Cranston putting in an appearance.
Walter White found a practical use for science in Breaking Bad. Bryan Cranston is now putting that knowledge to more fantastical applications in Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, a “hugely ambitious” 10-part anthology series based on the short stories of acclaimed sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick. Amazon picked up the U.S. rights from Sony Pictures Television, producer Cranston and Ronald D. Moore, who is the showrunner for Outlander. Cranston is set to star in one episode.
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams will join the streaming network’s flagship series The Man in the High Castle, which is based on a novel by Dick.
Dick wrote the science fiction masterpiece Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which was the basis behind Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic Blade Runner, as well as the stories that were adapted as 2002’s Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and Total Recall.
“Philip K Dick’s short stories have shaped iconic Hollywood films from Blade Runner to Minority Report,” Channel 4 chief creative officer, Jay Hunt, said in a statement. “Electric Dreams: The World of Philip K Dick will adapt and modernize his singular vision for a TV audience. We are thrilled to be partnering with the talented team at Sony Pictures Television on an anthology series that brings together global stars of the calibre of Bryan Cranston and Ronald D Moore.”
Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore and Masters of Sex’s Michael Dinner will be the executive producers and writers on the series. One episode will be written by Dee Rees, who wrote and directed HBO’s Bessie and Mudbound, which was a favorite at Sundance. Other writers include Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) Matthew Graham (Life on Mars), David Farr (The Night Manager) and Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim).
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams was commissioned for Channel 4 by Jay Hunt, Piers Wenger and Simon Maxwell in May 2016. It was made by Sony Pictures Television.
Cranston will also act as an executive producer on the show.
“This is an electric dream come true,” Cranston said in Channel 4’s press release when the show was first announced. “We are so thrilled to be able to explore and expand upon the evergreen themes found in the incredible work of this literary master.”
“I’m thrilled to be working with this exceptional team to bring my father’s short stories to life,” Dick’s daughter Isa Dick Hackett, an executive producer on Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, said in a statement. “Often the source for big, high concept feature films, these short stories represent some of the most dazzling conceptual work of his career, and the fact that they will be adapted by such a diverse set of creative voices is truly an honor.”
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams is executive produced by James Degus (Sneaky Pete), Isa Dick Hackett (The Man in The High Castle), Kalen Egan (The Man in The High Castle), Christopher Tricarico (The Man in The High Castle), Maril Davis (Battlestar Galactica), as well as David Kanter (The Revenant) and Matt DeRoss (The End of the Tour).
There’s no word yet on a premiere date.
SOURCE: DEADLINE