Amazon to turn a comic book and two novels into three new sci-fi shows

Lazarus

This series will be based on the comic by Greg Rucka (the man behind Marvel’s Jessica Jones) – and it sounds like a modern-day Game of Thrones. Set in a near alternative future, Earth has been divided up by 16 warring families, each ruling their territory in a feudal system. But instead of relying on the likes of dragons to keep their citizens in check, each family looks to a one-person kill squad, known as a Lazarus.

Snow Crash

Based on Neal Stephenson’s cult novel of the same name, Snow Crash charts a futuristic USA where Hiro Protagonist (yup, that’s really his name) works as a pizza delivery boy/ Metaverse warrior prince. That means that when he’s not lugging around margheritas, he’s battling hackers as they unleash a mysterious new computer virus.

Ringworld

Reportedly a co-production with MGM, this story will follow that of Larry Niven’s 1970s sci-fi book series. It'll centre on Gridley Wu, a man celebrating his 200th birthday in a technologically-advanced Earth. But there’s a problem: he’s really bored. To make his life a bit more exciting he joins a voyage to explore Ringworld, the remote artificial ring beyond “Known Space.”

There may be some wait for the new adaptations, but Amazon is releasing several other shows within the next few months. These include horror series Lore (released October 13), Marvelous Mrs Maisel – the tale of a 1960s housewife-turned-comedian – and the second series of The Grand Tour (both out December).

In fact, all in all Amazon are currently producing 67 TV series and 20 movies around the globe. We’ve got one hell of a binge ahead.