USA Developing Alien Invasion Drama From Lost’s Carlton Cuse
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After a long dry spell, we are in one hell of a TV sci-fi boom right now. Call it the “Walking Dead/Game of Thrones effect” — with those two shows massive hits for AMC and HBO, respectively, everybody is eager to land the next big geek-friendly hit. It’s been a long time since the USA Network has been anywhere in the vicinity of on our radar, but that might change: they’ve just announced that they’re developing an alien invasion drama called Colony for the 2014-2015 season, co-written and produced by Lost’s Carlton Cuse.
Here’s the Colony synopsis, via EW:
In 2015, Los Angeles exists in a state of occupation. Some collaborate with the alien authorities and benefit from the new order, while others rebel and suffer the consequences. COLONY is a naturalistic drama about a family torn by those opposing forces, making difficult choices as they balance keeping their family together with the struggle of the human race. A co-production between Legendary Television and Universal Cable Productions, COLONY was written and is executive produced by Cuse and Ryan Condal (The Sixth Gun).
Colony sounds like it could be fun, falling somewhere between Falling Skies and V. It would also be a step beyond what USA is typically known for: their programming lineup is usually chockablock with light-and-fluffy semi-procedurals such as Psych, Burn Notice, and In Plain Sight. USA was the network that gave us The 4400, but that was a decade ago.
If you’re still feeling stung by the way Lost wrapped up and Carlton Cuse’s name gives you pause, it’s worth remembering that ABC’s frustrating island drama isn’t the only bullet point on Cuse’s resume. For one thing, he’s currently a writer/executive producer on A&E’s Bates Motel, a show that, against logic, common sense, and the rules of god and man, is actually pretty entertaining. He also co-created the unfairly short-lived The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. way back in the early ’90s, and that alone ensures he gets the benefit of my doubt on any new project. In addition to Bates Motel and now Colony, Cuse is also an EP on FX’s upcoming vampire series The Strain, based on the books by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
As for the other dude behind Colony, Ryan Condal doesn’t have many produced credits under his belt yet. He wrote the upcoming Hercules movie for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and director Brett Ratner, and he also developed the 2013 fantasy/Western pilot The Sixth Gun. It was originally intended for Syfy, but after the initial success of Revolution, NBC considered adding it to their lineup, before finally passing on it in May 2013.
Colony is a co-production between Legendary Television and USA Cable Productions. The Legendary name ought to sound familiar if you keep up with geek-friendly movies and TV. They’re the folks behind Godzilla, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel, Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Interstellar, the Warcraft movie, and tons of other stuff. They’re newer to the TV side of things, but they definitely bring a good pedigree.
We’ll keep you posted on Colony as more news becomes available.
