A couple of months ago, my agent forwarded me a package from a production company in search of a showrunner for an upcoming project. A couple of these cross my desk every month and they usually fail to capture my interest, but this one was different. This one wasn’t just any project. It was a proposed television adaptation of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s science fiction classic The Mote in God’s Eye. This was, in a word, HUGE.
While I have written over 100 hours and produced 350+ hours of sci-fi television, that time commitment pales in comparison to the tens of thousands of hours I have spent consuming sci-fi: film, television, and books. Lots of books. I grew up reading the likes of Asimov and Clarke, Bradbury and Ellison, Heinlein and LeGuin. And, of course, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. I am first and foremost a fan of the genre, and the prospect of bringing to life one of its greatest works was an opportunity I could not pass up.
So I got on a zoom with the production company to share my thoughts on a possible adaptation after which they scheduled a second zoom so that I could chat with a gentleman named Harry Kloor who had done ALL of the creative lifting on the project to that point, putting together an impressive and highly detailed pitch deck and series overview. Harry is a writer and producer who wrote for Star Trek: Voyager and created the series Earth: Final Conflict. He is also a scientist, an entrepreneur, a policy adviser and CEO, and the first simultaneous Ph.D winner in US history (in physics and chemistry). The guy is brilliant – and also a surprisingly chill, down-to-earth, genuinely nice guy. We had a great chat, bouncing ideas back and forth, allied in our enthusiasm, love and respect for the novel. And I was officially welcomed aboard.
We are presently putting the finishing touches on our official pitch and visual deck. Once that’s done, we’ll be taking it out with our partners Michael Rosenberg (Hell on Wheels, Hung, Rogue) and Laura Notarianni (Orphan Black, X Company, Killjoys). We’ll be looking for the perfect home for one of the last untapped science fiction classics.
If you’re a fan of the book, know that we all are too and will deliver a show that will be ambitious, wildly entertaining, and, most importantly, true to the source material.
You’re gonna love it!
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Hell yeah, Joe. Very excited for you. It must be partially a dream come true to work on this project. And for us fans or your work we get another Joe Mallozzi sci-fi project. Crossing my fingers it isn’t a Syfy project.
Congratulations. I look forward to seeing this new project come to life.
Whoop! Whoop! 🙌
(I may not be a sports fan, but I know how to cheer!)
heads to Libby app to borrow A MOTE…
whoo hoo!
Very excited to hear about your involvement with another scifi project. Nice!
Congrats! This is huge news! I have everything crossed that you can find a home for it!
I haven’t read the book but I’ll be at a bookstore tomorrow so I’ll see if they have it. They have a decent sci fi section. “Ringworld” is the only Niven book I’ve read.
Very exciting! Are you staying in Toronto?
I look forward to “The Mote in God’s Eye” on film. The book was excellent and I’m sure you’ll do it justice.
The plan is to stay in Toronto. But who knows?
ENFIN!
That is awesome Joe!! Best of luck! I hope it finds a home. Exciting news indeed!
I wonder if there may be a chance of more Known Space novels appearing on TV? Especially Ringworld ( wonder how the Risathra scenes would work! ) and Flatlander series.
Oh wow! This is great news! Congrats, Joe!
Can’t wait to see how this progresses. I’m not familiar with this specific book but I’m looking forward to learning more about it.
Very exciting!! Eagerly awaiting further news …
Love Killjoys and Orphan Black, so many great creators on this project. As I mourn the end of Arcane it’s wonderful to see cool new projects brewing.
Nice. It will be cool to see some good sci-fi again and I’m sure that you’ll treat the source material well.
Woohoo! Congratulations, Joe.
Chev