Shonda Rhimes is stepping away from the hospital and the courtroom for her latest project: she and Matt Reeves are reportedly developing a sci-fi TV and film universe for Netflix.
The universe in question will be based on Blake Crouch’s upcoming book Recursion, which is set to be published by Crown on 11 June 2019.
The book “explores what happens when a brilliant scientist invents a powerful technology that allows people not just to reactivate their most visceral memories but to completely reinvent them. For some, it offers the chance to rewrite their entire lives. In the wrong hands, it will upend the world as we know it,” according to THR.
Rhimes is of course best known for creating Shondaland, her television production company that produces hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder. Reeves is a director, producer and screenwriter known for films like Cloverfield, Let Me In and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.
Shondaland shows have had a home at ABC ever since Grey’s Anatomy first started airing in 2005, but the production company is leaving it behind for a huge overall deal with Netflix.
In a statement, Rhimes said: “Projects like this are why I came to Netflix. The opportunity to explore a multigenre universe in innovative ways is extremely exciting. Matt and Blake both have the tremendous ability to build compelling characters and imaginative landscapes, and I am thrilled to work alongside them.”
“Blake’s mind-bending novel presents an incredible opportunity to explore its expansive narrative simultaneously through both film and television,” added Reeves. “Netflix is uniquely suited for this ambitious undertaking, and I can’t imagine a more exciting partner than the astonishingly talented Shonda Rhimes, whose work I have admired for years.
Recursion author Blake Crouch (who also wrote the books behind series like Wayward Pines and Good Behaviour) said: “I have been a fan of Shonda’s and Matt’s work going back years. To have these titans of television and film working on something of mine is an incredible honour, and Netflix is the pitch-perfect home for people who want to adapt film and TV in the most innovative way possible.”
The untitled Recursion series doesn’t yet have an air date. Get all the latest sci-fi news with every issue of SciFiNow.