The War of the Worlds Is Getting Adapted … Again

H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds has been endlessly rebooted in an onslaught of adaptations almost equivalent to the one depicted in the novel itself. The classic book has been translated into at least 10 films, 13 radio broadcasts—including Orson Welle’s disputed hysteria-inducing 1938 radio drama—and three television series, as well as comics, video games, and even one theatrical production starring the cast of Star Trek. Now, at least one more version from Fox Networks and French production company Canal+ is in the works, because there’s always a new take on how to destroy humanity.

Howard Overman (Misfits, Future Man) will write and create the latest adaptation of the 1898 novel, according to THR. “In many ways H.G. Wells’ novel is a cautionary tale of racial superiority and ethnic conflict,” said Overman in a statement. “It is these themes that I wanted to explore more fully in my modern re-imagining.”

His new contemporary take on the novel will be an eight-part series. After astronomers receive transmission from intelligent life, humanity is almost entirely eliminated by the extraterrestrial attackers who follow, leaving behind a sparsely populated Earth.

Fox’s announcement comes on the heels of initial production of the BBC’s miniseries adaptation of Well’s novel, starring Eleanor Tomlinson ( Colette ) and Rafe Spall ( The Big Short ). Unlike Fox’s new series or Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film version starring Tom Cruise, the BBC miniseries will be a three-part period drama set in England, the novel’s original setting.

Shooting begins on Overman’s version this fall and is scheduled to debut in 2019. Check back for further updates on this adaptation, or any new ones inevitably in the works.