Netflix is blasting off into alternate realities, and it’s bringing some serious creative firepower along for the ride. Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot) is developing a feature adaptation of Astronaut Down for the streamer, with F. Scott Frazier set to write the script. The project comes from Esmail Corp and AfterShock Media, adapting the 2023 sci-fi thriller comic from AfterShock Comics.
The original series was created by award-winning writer James Patrick, known for Kaiju Score and Monsters of Jimmy Crumb, with art by Spanish illustrator Rubine, whose credits include The Expanse and Look Into My Eyes.
The story follows Douglas Spritzer, an astronaut handpicked for a near-impossible mission. He’s launched into alternate realities in a last-ditch effort to save Earth from a catastrophic crisis that has humanity teetering on extinction.
Of course, nothing goes according to plan.
Douglas finds himself in a mission where everything unravels. His training, his sanity, even his humanity are pushed to their limits. And buried beneath the chaos is a secret that could derail the entire operation.
It’s the kind of high-concept sci-fi setup that feels tailor-made for Esmail’s brand of tension-driven storytelling. But, the project is obviously riding off the coattails of the upcoming film adaptation of Project Hail Mary.
Esmail and Chad Hamilton will produce for Esmail Corp, alongside Lee Kramer and Jon Kramer for AfterShock Media. Nick Krishnamurthy will executive produce, and Patrick is onboard as a consultant to help guide the adaptation.
This marks a return to Netflix for Esmail Corp after the massive success of Leave the World Behind, the thriller directed by Esmail and starring Mahershala Ali and Julia Roberts.
The film racked up more than 143 million views, making it the platform’s eighth-most-popular movie ever. That kind of track record gives Astronaut Down some serious momentum heading into development.
Frazier, who many fans will recognize as the writer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Vin Diesel, has been busy lining up big projects. He recently wrote The Initiative, a spy thriller that reunites Angelina Jolie and Doug Liman following Mr. and Mrs. Smith, set up at Universal.
Before that, he teamed with Jimmy Loweree on the contemporary action-adventure project Outdueled at Amazon, with Escape Artists producing.
Esmail Corp produced Esmail’s breakout USA Network series Mr. Robot, starring Rami Malek, and went on to develop series including Briarpatch, Homecoming, Angelyne, Gaslit, and The Resort.
On the film side, they have the cyberterrorist thriller Panic Carefully heading to theaters via Warner Bros. next February. They’re also backing Jody Hill’s A24 film Famous starring Zac Efron and Kim Je-woon’s The Hole for Amazon MGM.
With alternate realities, existential stakes, and Esmail’s knack for psychological intensity, Astronaut Down sounds like a wild ride waiting to happen. If this adaptation captures the tension and emotional weight of the comic, Netflix could have strong sci-fi thriller on their hands.
Source: Deadline
