While we continue to wait for more information about the planned prequels to Alien, it's encouraging to know that Ridley Scott is getting back to his roots. Though he began his career with those lovely xenomorphs and Blade Runner, it's been decades since Scott has contributed to the science-fiction genre. But while we wait for things to get rolling on the sci-fi movie front, Scott is kicking it off on the small screen.
Deadline reports that for the first time since Blade Runner back in 1982, Scott will once again work from the words of Philip K. Dick, producing a four-hour miniseries based on The Man In The High Castle for the BBC. TV writer and playwright Howard Brenton will write the script. The book takes place in an alternate universe where the Allied powers lost World War II and Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan have taken over. The project is being developed for BBC 1 in Britain and there's no mention if it will make its way over to the States (though it's hard to imagine that it won't).
For all of the writers that see their work mistreated in Hollywood, it's impressive how often Dick's work is successful. If you discount the Nicolas Cage mess that was Next, Dick's words have produced great films like Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly and the aforementioned Blade Runner - not to mention the adaptation of The Adjustment Bureau looks pretty damn good too. It's a shame that Scott won't be directing the series himself, but hopefully he'll keep a watchful eye on it and make sure that it's done right.
