Hugh Jackman will be stepping behind the camera for a change to helm an adaptation of the acclaimed science fiction novel The Overstory for Netflix.
The 52-year-old Logan star will be in good company, as he’ll be executive producing the series with the Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
The new series will be the duo’s third show under their $250 million overall deal with Netflix.
Behind the camera: Hugh Jackman, 52, will produce an adaptation of the acclaimed science fiction novel The Overstory for Netflix, along with the creators of Game Of Thrones; seen in 2019 in London
According to Netflix, the Overstory series will be: ‘a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of the natural world.’
‘It tells the story of a world alongside ours that is vast, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive and almost invisible to us. A handful of disparate people learn how to see that world and are drawn into its unfolding catastrophe.’
The novel, written by Richard Powers, is concerned with the role of trees in our world and follows nine people who have vastly different connections to the massive flora.
Although reviews for the novel were mixed, The Overstory won the 2019 Pulitzer Price for Fiction and was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize.
Back again: Game Of Thrones creators David Benioff (L) and D. B. Weiss will also executive produce as part of their $250 million overall deal with Netflix; seen together in January 2020 in LA
Critical hit: The Overstory is a science fiction novel about nine humans and their connections to trees. It was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize and won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Richard Robbins, known for his work on Good Girls Revolt and 12 Monkeys, will executive produce the series alongside Benioff and Weiss, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jackman shared his interest in the novel before joining in on the series during an episode of The Tim Ferris Show podcast from June 2020.
The X-Men actor revealed he had been given a copy of the book by former Senator Gary Hart after he played him in 2018’s The Front Runner.
He called The Overstory ‘the most transformative bit of fiction I have read in a long time,’ and gushed that it ‘completely reverses the way you look at the world when you walk outside.’
Big fan: Jackman gushed about The Overstory on The Tim Ferris Show podcast in June, calling it ‘the most transformative bit of fiction I have read in a long time’; seen in 2019 in NYC
The adaptation seems to be a good fit for Netflix too, as CEO Reed Hastings also praised The Overstory while chatting with The New York Times in September, calling it ‘a wonderful example of how great storytelling can help build understanding and empathy,’ adding that it was, ‘Original and profound.’
Benioff and Weiss are coming off their blockbuster run with the Game Of Thrones series for HBO.
The fantasy series premiered in 2011 to rave reviews and became a record hit for the premium network, while winning more Primetime Emmy Awards than any other show.
However, the critical adoration fell off in later seasons, and many fans and critics were upset with the final season, which they felt was rushed.
Culture touchstone: Benioff and Weiss were acclaimed for their work on HBO’s massive hit Game Of Thrones, through the reviews fell off in later seasons and some fans revolted against the final episodes
Benioff and Weiss have been prolific in a short amount of time at Netflix.
They’re already at work on an adaptation of the hit Chinese science-fiction novel The Three-Body Problem and its sequels.
They’re collaborating on that adaptation with Alexander Woo, who created and served as showrunner for the second season of AMC’s The Terror.
They’ll also be producing a half-hour dramedy starring Sandra Oh called The Chair.
The series will feature the actress Amanda Peet, who is married to Benioff, as showrunner.
Staying busy: The duo already have a series based on the hit Chinese science-fiction series The Three-Body Problem in the works, plus a half-hour dramedy starring Sandra Oh called The Chair