‘Aurora Rising’ YA Novel to Be Adapted Into MGM Television Series
The New York Times bestselling novel was written by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Margeaux Sippell | June 13, 2019 @ 3:48 PM
Last Updated: June 13, 2019 @ 4:11 PM
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s bestselling young adult sci-fi thriller novel, “Aurora Rising,” has been optioned by MGM Television for development into a TV series.
MGM will serve as international distributor, and MGM Television will produce the series. Bill Todman, Jr. and Edward Milstein (“Ace Ventura”) will executive produce, and Limor Hakim co-produce for Level 1 Entertainment. Kaufman and Kristoff will serve as consulting producers. Showrunners and writers are currently being interviewed.
Per MGM: “Set in the year 2380, Aurora Rising follows Ty Jones, the top cadet of the Aurora Academy, and his unwanted squad of misfits and losers as they slowly realize that the girl they rescued from hundreds of years of cryo-sleep may be the catalyst for a war millions of years in the making.”
“Amie and Jay have created something really special with ‘Aurora Rising.’ Their novel blends comedy, action and heart seamlessly in such a wonderful way. We are all looking forward to working with them, Bill and the whole creative team at Level 1 to bring this impressive story to television,” said Steve Stark, president of television production and development at MGM.
“We are beyond excited to be working with MGM Television, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff to make this epic space opera into a fantastic television series,” Todman and Milstein said.
Overseeing the series for MGM Television are Max Kisbye, MGM’s executive vice president of television development and production, and Rob Hochberg, director of television development and production.
These 'Jaws' Photos Haven't Been Seen by the Public in 45 Years. Dive In!
If you love "Jaws" like I do, it's impossible to visit Martha's Vineyard without constant reminders that it's also Amity Island. It's almost as if John Williams' iconic score is undulating across the airwaves of the island.
On a visit earlier this month, my wife and I returned from a bike ride to the charming 1874 inn where we stayed: the Attleboro House. We were greeted by its ultra-friendly owner, Billy Reagan, sitting in a porch rocker.
"Rented bikes, huh?" he asked.
"We just got back from the East Chop loop," I said. "We had to make our pilgrimage to the 'Jaws' house."
He knew what I meant. Most locals do: The house where Chief Brody and his family live in Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic.
"Ah, a JAWS fan?" asked Reagan.
My wife chuckled quietly to herself. The cards were now on the table. It was time for me to confess to Billy that, yes, I was a fan -- a serious fan with a close group of friends who are also serious fans.
"We refer to ourselves as "finatics,'" I added.
He smiled again.
Billy explained that he and his brother were around during the filming in 1974 -- and that they had taken some photos. When he invited us inside to see them, I couldn't have been more delighted.
Billy showed us a photo of the shark (also known as Bruce) hanging out in Oak Bluffs harbor --and a shot of a technician with his head in Bruce's jaws to boot. This little inlet of water and dunes was nicknamed "Shark City" because this was where the mechanical sharks were kept when they weren't in front of the camera... or sinking to the bottom of the bay. (Spielberg's shoot was fraught with technical issues.)
Inside Jaws, inside "Shark City." Courtesy of Billy Reagan, owner of Attleboro House in Martha's Vineyard.
The photos also captured candid moments when Spielberg talked with the kids during the infamous estuary scene - the one in which a victim (Teddy Grossman) is flipped in his rowboat and chomped while horrified beachgoers and kids on a sailboat look on. In fact, Billy's brother, Jack Reagan, was an extra in the scene.
Steven Spielberg talks with. local Martha's Vineyard kids during the filming of "Jaws." Courtesy of Billy Reagan, owner of Attleboro House in Martha's Vineyard.
To make matters even more exciting, these photos have never been seen before by the public-- even by "finatics." I spoke with a close friend and 'Jaws' historian, Jim Beller, who confirmed for me that the photos included here are all new discoveries.
But thanks to the kindness of Billy and his extended Attleboro House family, I'm able to share them with the world for the first time ever.
So enjoy the photos, friends, and stay out of the water!
Courtesy of Billy Reagan, owner of Attleboro House in Martha's Vineyard
Let's Revisit the 1990 'It' TV Miniseries: 5 Floating Facts About Pennywise and Friends
With the new film "It" in theaters now, we asked John Campopiano -- one of several filmmakers doing a documentary about the 1990 version of Stephen King's "It" -- to take us deep into the history of that TV miniseries. Here are five things we didn't know.
Stephen King has said he decided to make his scary creature a clown because clowns scare children more than anything else. "They do have that kind of monstrous thing going for them," he told Conan O'Brien.
Jonathan Brandis, who portrayed young Bill Denbrough in "It," had worked on another Stephen King film adaptation the year prior. He did the voiceover for the opening scenes of the 1989 film "Pet Sematary."
Tim Curry's Pennywise makeup changed quite a bit during the production. It went from being very dramatic and articulated to more subdued. Curry had recently worked on the film "Legend" and was not excited about being in a lot of makeup again. He and director Tommy Lee Wallace agreed that he would have minimal makeup.
Despite being set in Derry, Maine, the miniseries was actually shot in and around Vancouver, British Columbia.
Many fans dislike the ending of the miniseries, specifically the scenes involving the giant spider. Even cast and crew members, including Wallace, have expressed disappointment with how it came together.
Bonus: King once had his own scary interaction with a clown: a man dressed as Ronald McDonald once said next to him on a first-class flight, lit up a cigarette and ordered a gin and tonic. He told King he had come "from McDonaldland."
With the new film “It” in theaters, we look back at the miniseries that made everyone hate clowns
With the new film "It" in theaters now, we asked John Campopiano -- one of several filmmakers doing a documentary about the 1990 version of Stephen King's "It" -- to take us deep into the history of that TV miniseries. Here are five things we didn't know.
Martha’s Vineyard resident Billy Reagan shared his personal photos with “finatic” John Campopiano
If you love "Jaws" like I do, it's impossible to visit Martha's Vineyard without constant reminders that it's also Amity Island. It's almost as if John Williams' iconic score is undulating across the airwaves of the island.
On a visit earlier this month, my wife and I returned from a bike ride to the charming 1874 inn where we stayed: the Attleboro House. We were greeted by its ultra-friendly owner, Billy Reagan, sitting in a porch rocker.
"Rented bikes, huh?" he asked.
"We just got back from the East Chop loop," I said. "We had to make our pilgrimage to the 'Jaws' house."
He knew what I meant. Most locals do: The house where Chief Brody and his family live in Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic.
"Ah, a JAWS fan?" asked Reagan.
My wife chuckled quietly to herself. The cards were now on the table. It was time for me to confess to Billy that, yes, I was a fan -- a serious fan with a close group of friends who are also serious fans.
"We refer to ourselves as "finatics,'" I added.
He smiled again.
Billy explained that he and his brother were around during the filming in 1974 -- and that they had taken some photos. When he invited us inside to see them, I couldn't have been more delighted.
Billy showed us a photo of the shark (also known as Bruce) hanging out in Oak Bluffs harbor --and a shot of a technician with his head in Bruce's jaws to boot. This little inlet of water and dunes was nicknamed "Shark City" because this was where the mechanical sharks were kept when they weren't in front of the camera... or sinking to the bottom of the bay. (Spielberg's shoot was fraught with technical issues.)
Inside Jaws, inside "Shark City." Courtesy of Billy Reagan, owner of Attleboro House in Martha's Vineyard.
The photos also captured candid moments when Spielberg talked with the kids during the infamous estuary scene - the one in which a victim (Teddy Grossman) is flipped in his rowboat and chomped while horrified beachgoers and kids on a sailboat look on. In fact, Billy's brother, Jack Reagan, was an extra in the scene.
Steven Spielberg talks with. local Martha's Vineyard kids during the filming of "Jaws." Courtesy of Billy Reagan, owner of Attleboro House in Martha's Vineyard.
To make matters even more exciting, these photos have never been seen before by the public-- even by "finatics." I spoke with a close friend and 'Jaws' historian, Jim Beller, who confirmed for me that the photos included here are all new discoveries.
But thanks to the kindness of Billy and his extended Attleboro House family, I'm able to share them with the world for the first time ever.
So enjoy the photos, friends, and stay out of the water!
Courtesy of Billy Reagan, owner of Attleboro House in Martha's Vineyard
Let's Revisit the 1990 'It' TV Miniseries: 5 Floating Facts About Pennywise and Friends
With the new film "It" in theaters now, we asked John Campopiano -- one of several filmmakers doing a documentary about the 1990 version of Stephen King's "It" -- to take us deep into the history of that TV miniseries. Here are five things we didn't know.
Stephen King has said he decided to make his scary creature a clown because clowns scare children more than anything else. "They do have that kind of monstrous thing going for them," he told Conan O'Brien.
Jonathan Brandis, who portrayed young Bill Denbrough in "It," had worked on another Stephen King film adaptation the year prior. He did the voiceover for the opening scenes of the 1989 film "Pet Sematary."
Tim Curry's Pennywise makeup changed quite a bit during the production. It went from being very dramatic and articulated to more subdued. Curry had recently worked on the film "Legend" and was not excited about being in a lot of makeup again. He and director Tommy Lee Wallace agreed that he would have minimal makeup.
Despite being set in Derry, Maine, the miniseries was actually shot in and around Vancouver, British Columbia.
Many fans dislike the ending of the miniseries, specifically the scenes involving the giant spider. Even cast and crew members, including Wallace, have expressed disappointment with how it came together.
Bonus: King once had his own scary interaction with a clown: a man dressed as Ronald McDonald once said next to him on a first-class flight, lit up a cigarette and ordered a gin and tonic. He told King he had come "from McDonaldland."
With the new film “It” in theaters, we look back at the miniseries that made everyone hate clowns
With the new film "It" in theaters now, we asked John Campopiano -- one of several filmmakers doing a documentary about the 1990 version of Stephen King's "It" -- to take us deep into the history of that TV miniseries. Here are five things we didn't know.
