NBCUniversal International Studios is teaming up with Tom Hardy and Dean Baker to develop two new TV shows: Trees, based on a science-fiction graphic novel from award-winning comic book writer and New York Times bestselling author Warren Ellis, and Pendulum, an adaptation of Adam Hamdy’s crime thriller.
Trees follows a story set ten years after the arrival of vast alien presences, who stand on the Earth’s surface like trees and do not move or communicate: appearing not to acknowledge human life and society, the series chronicles the silent pressure and strange changes they exert on global communities from China to the Arctic Circle.
“Warren is one of the top names in comics and a best-selling author who has a terrifically subversive perspective on story,” said Tom Coan, SVP of scripted programming at NBCUniversal Int. Studios. “It’s that unique sensibility that sits at the heart of Trees, where he has turned the alien invasion genre on its ear.”
Pendulum, set to be published in the U.S. next year, will be adapted by Hamdy and it will follow the story of an everyman targeted for death by a serial killer.
“It was immediately clear to us that Pendulum’s narrative would appeal to audiences internationally given the book is a thrilling, high-concept ride about the nature of our digitally connected society,” added Coan. “We are thrilled to have Adam on board to adapt the book and look forward to taking the project to buyers.”
Taboo, Hardy Son & Baker’s first show penned by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight and starring Hardy, is set to air on BBC and FX in early 2017.