Alexander Skarsgård will star and executive produce in a new TV adaptation of “Murderbot” for Apple TV+ from creators and directors Chris and Paul Weitz.
Based on Martha Wells’ sci-fi Hugo and Nebula Award-winning book series “The Murderbot Diaries,” “Murderbot” centers on a self-hacking security android who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.”
The official logline is as follows: “Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.”
Hailing from Paramount Television Studios, the 10-episode series will be written, directed and produced by the Weitz brothers under their Depth of Field banner. Skarsgård and the Weitz brothers serve as executive producers alongside Andrew Miano, who EPs for Depth of Field, and David S. Goyer and Keith Levine for Phantom Four. Wells will serve as consulting producer for the series.
“Murderbot” marks Goyer’s second collaboration with Apple TV+ after serving as showrunner and executive producer on “Foundation,” which debuted its sophomore season this summer and fall and was recently renewed for a third season at the streamer. Goyer will return as showrunner and EP for Season 3 of the epic sci-fi adaptation.
The “Murderbot” adaptation expands the streamer’s existing sci-fi TV roster, which currently includes “Foundation,” “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” “Silo,” “For All Mankind” and “Invasion,” among others.
First making waves with 1999 teen comedy “American Pie,” the Weitz brothers have collaborated on several projects throughout their filmmaking career, notably in 2002 film “About a Boy,” with Depth of Field’s “The Farewell” winning best feature at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards.
Recently they have worked separately, with Paul recently writing and directing Kevin Hart-led “Fatherhood” while Chris Weitz most recently penned “The Creator” and is currently in post production on the feature film “They Listen.”
