YouTube Red is heading to space with its newest drama pickup.
The streamer has ordered 10 episodes of sci-fi series Origin from Left Bank Pictures and Midnight Radio in association with China International Television Corp. and Sony Pictures TV’s international production division.
Created, written and executive produced by newcomer Mika Watkins, Origin follows a group of 10 strangers who become stranded on a spacecraft traveling to a distant planet. The passengers must work together to survive but soon discover that one of them is not who they thought. Origin will debut in 2018 on Red, an ad-free service that costs $10 per month.
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YouTube global head of original content Susanne Daniels calls Origin “mysterious and captivating.” She adds that, “sci-fi and action adventure are huge on YouTube, and our audience will be intrigued by the unexpected plot twists and turns in this bold, studio-quality thriller.”
Joining Watkins as executive producers are Left Bank’s Andy Harries, Rob Bullock and Suzanne Mackie and Midnight Radio’s Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg.
“Mika is an exceptional new voice and we are excited to bring her first major project to the screen with our friends at YouTube Red,” said Harries, CEO of Left Bank.
Wayne Garvie, president of international production at Sony TV, added, “this is a tremendously exciting project, a truly global project that brings together partners from the U.S., U.K. and China to create a unique and thrilling space drama.”
Left Bank is the Sony-owned film and TV production company behind Netflix’s sweeping historical drama The Crown and Starz drama Outlander. It is also behind Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, an anthology series that premiered on Channel 4 in the U.K. in September and will stream in the U.S. on Amazon Prime.
Red, which is available in five countries including the U.S., Australia and Mexico, has been building up its drama slate with such projects as Doug Liman-produced Impulse and Lifeline, which hails from Dwayne Johnson and Studio71. Other forthcoming Red projects include Cobra Kai and Step Up: High Water.
Watkins, whose previous writing credits include Stan Lee’s Lucky Man and Troy: Fall of a City, is represented by Curtis Brown and Grandview.
