Netflix has a ton of original series on the way that are worthy of everyone's attention, and one of the most exciting is also one of the most distant: its Lost in Space reboot set for a 2018 release. Details haven't really gone beyond the basic logline and casting info, but now lead actor Toby Stephens, of Black Sails fame, has finally given fans something to chew on by hinting at how the streaming giant's Lost in Space will compare to the classic series from the 1960s.
It's a very clever, modern reworking of a great story. Lost in Space is Swiss Family Robinson in space, so it was a story that existed before Lost in Space. The fundamental story is that it's a family that is lost in a difficult, life-threatening situation and how it challenges them and brings them closer together. That is essentially what the story of this is, it's just the context is a lot more modern. It's a more modern take on the '60s version. If you look at it now, it's charming, but it seems so innocent. Whereas this is a version that is for our time. I'm hoping it will still have humor and humanity in it, but it has obviously gotta be for a modern audience.
Taking a step back, it's obvious that a reboot is going to be a more modern version of a previously existence property, but I love the way Toby Stephens worded this. Because it means the show developers, Gods of Egypt screenwriters Matt Sazama and Buck Sharpless, aren't just interested in making this a spaceship show with giant battles and soapy storylines. At least not this early on in development. It's about the adventure and the family, just like it used to be.
Lost in Space centers on the Robinson family - John, Maureen, Don, Judy, Will and Penny - and possible villain Dr. Smith, as they find themselves stranded out in space, lightyears away from their destination, where they are more likely to let their inner demons out. The family and Smith won't necessarily be alone, though, as there are mysterious alien environments out there just begging to be messed with. I'm particularly interested to see how Matt Sazama and Buck Sharpless, as well as showrunner Zack Estrin (Prison Break), will handle otherworldly locations and creatures, and if that will feel as modern as everything else.
Toby Stephens was speaking with Collider about the upcoming take on Lost in Space, and he also made a comparison between his patriarch John Robinson and his Black Sails captain James Flint.
What's nice is that I'm playing a complex character, but somebody who's, in a way, a lot more simplistic than Flint. He's just in a very difficult situation.
I imagine Flint would be an extremely interesting character to watch in the middle of the cosmos, but he definitely wouldn't be able to command a spaceship as well as a traditional ship. It'd be hard to adapt to modernity in that situation. Beyond Toby Stephens, the rest of the cast includes Molly Parker, Ignacio Serricchio, Taylor Russell, Maxwell Jenkins, Mina Sundwall, and Parky Posey as Dr. Smith.
While no release date has been set yet, we can look forward to watching a whole new Lost in Space when it premieres on Netflix in 2018. On the flip side, Toby Stephens can be soon be seen when Black Sails kicks off its fourth and final season on Starz on Sunday, January 29. You can find what the streaming service has to offer this year with our Netflix 2017 schedule, and then head to our midseason premiere schedule to see everything else hitting the small screen in the future.
