WarnerMedia continues to get the most from Adam McKay.
The Succession executive producer has landed a series pickup at the streamer HBO Max for a climate change scripted anthology called The Uninhabitable Earth. The episodic project is inspired by David Wallace-Wells’ global best-selling book and New York Magazine article of the same name.
Sources describe the series as having a Black Mirror vibe. McKay will exec produce the series as well as write and direct the first episode. The plan calls for the first season to enlist top writers and directors to create a provocative and entertaining series that explores how the planet is “teetering on the precipice.” The effort will feature fictional stories that cover a range of genres and a future that could result from the rapid warming of our planet.
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“Adam is one of the rare artists who can deliver a pointed, impactful message in a piece of great entertainment,” Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max and president TBS, TNT and truTV, said Wednesday in a statement. “I can’t wait to see what he does with this material, as there is no timelier and more relevant message than a wake-up call on climate change and the growing impact on our lives.”
The project is the latest pickup for McKay through his recently signed rich five-year overall deal with HBO and HBO Max.
“I’ve been chomping at the bit to get this show going. I’m very happy that HBO Max stepped up and made the commitment. There’s obviously no subject as vast and daunting,” said McKay, who in addition to Golden Globe winner Succession recently landed a series pickup for his drama about the 1980s-era Los Angeles Lakers and is helping to bring Parasite to the premium cable network.
The Uninhabitable Earth is executive produced by McKay and his Hyperobject Industries’ Kevin Messick (Succession), wiip’s Paul Lee (Dickinson) and Mark Roybal (No Country for Old Men), and Animal Kingdom’s David Kaplan (It Follows) and Andrea Roa (It Comes at Night). Wallace-Wells serves as a consulting producer.
