It was one of the best-received cult hits of 2013. But will a television, episodic version of the high-concept ‘Snowpiercer‘ keep its all-important themes on track?
If you got the chance to see it, given its somewhat limited release, you’ll know that Snowpiercer was one of the best – and hardest to pigenonhole – films of 2013. Based on the cult graphic novel Le Transperceneige it told the story of a train on a never-ending, generational, loop of a circuit through the icy wastes of a climate-devastated world. The carriages were symbolic of different cultures and social status with the poorest workers at the back and the most affluent at the front.
When a genuine revolution begins, with the aim to move ever forward through the carriages and seize control of the train takes place, the rebel engineers begin to realise the scale of the task ahead and the risks they are taking. A high-concept story involving fantastic imagery, abstract ideas and a lot of social commentary, Snowpiercer wasn’t quite like anything else on offer. It was an odd mix of western stars ( Chris Evans, John Hurt, Ed Harris, Tilda Swinton and Jamie Bell) and cult Korean performers such as Song Kang-Ho and Ko Asung as directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Now industry-site Deadline reports that TNT have given a pilot order (and several additional episode scripts) to a television series based on the film/original story and moving forward as a partnership with Tomorrow Studios (bringing together ITV Studios — and Turner’s Studio T).Josh Friedman (The Sarah Connor Chronicles, War of the Worlds) is down to write the pilot script and act as the show-runner should a fuller run go ahead. The production joins other initiatives that TNT is involved in, including an adaptation of another cult hit, the Swedish vampire drama Let the Right One In.
“Snowpiercer has one of the most original concepts to hit the screen in the last decade, and it’s one that offers numerous opportunities for deeper exploration in a series format,” said Sarah Aubrey, EVP Original Programming at TNT in a statement. “We look forward to expanding TNT’s relationship with Tomorrow Studios and their take on a world where humanity is pushed to the extreme.”
A series-format gives the ideas explored in the original film room to breathe though it will be interesting to see the pros and cons of changing the structure and whether it will blunt any of the sharper edges of the story. At present there is no idea of time-frame and casting.
