Jonathan Demme To Direct And Executive Produce AMC’s Sci-Fi Series Line Of Sight

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Jonathan DemmeRemember when AMC used to just show movies? The initials did stand for American Movie Classics, after all. Now the network’s primary focus has shifted to original programming, and with shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead, the transition has been a rousing success. After having a runaway hit with a bloody horror series, AMC is testing out another genre. They’re getting into the sci-fi game with the upcoming Line of Sight, and they’re getting their very own Academy Award winner to direct the pilot episode.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia director Jonathan Demme will helm the first chapter of Line of Sight.Though primarily known for his film work, Demme has done quite a bit of TV work in recent years, most notably on HBO’s acclaimed Enlightened, and the short-lived CBS drama A Gifted Man. The mysterious and supernatural elements in Gifted provides an interesting thematic link to Demme’s new project.

Described as a “genre-bending odyssey,” Line of Sight follows a National Transportation Safety Board investigator named Lewis Bernt. After he survives a mysterious plane crash, Bernt searches for answers about what he experienced. What he finds quickly leads him down a path of paranoia and obsession, and his entire world unravels right in front of his face.

In addition to directing the pilot, Demme will also serve as executive producer on Line of Sight. Production is set to begin later this year on a script from 2 Guns writer Blake Masters.

Line of Sight isn’t the only sci-fi project in the works at AMC. Oblivion director Joseph Kosinski is teaming up with Pacific Rim writer Travis Beacham for Ballistic City, a crime drama set aboard a generation ship. Ridley Scott is also developing a dystopian sci-fi series for the network, along with Walking Dead makeup man Greg Nicotero.