Chernobyl director to helm The Day of the Triffids adaptation at Amazon
The sci-fi TV adaptation already sounds like it'll be a hit with fans of The Last of Us.
Emmy award-winning Johan Renck, of HBO’s Chernobyl fame, is attached to direct and executive produce a TV series adaptation of John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids.
The classic sci-fi novel is getting the small-screen treatment and has been put into fast-track development by Amazon Studios, meaning that the series will be making its way to our televisions hopefully very soon.
The 1951 post-apocalyptic novel follows Bill Masen, a biologist who has spent his life working with triffids, which are tall, venomous, carnivorous plants capable of moving.
He suspects they have been bio-engineered for the USSR and accidentally released into the wild, and after a catastrophic meteor shower, the triffids start killing the remaining people left on earth.
The story explores how Bill helps survivors escape these deadly plants, especially since learning that the light from the unusual meteoric display has rendered many who watched it blind.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Read more:
- Chris Chibnall wanted to bring back Doctor Who spin-offs
- Stranger Things prequel is happening – but there's a twist
Of course, this is not the first time Wyndham's novel has been adapted. The Day of the Triffids has been made into a 1962 film, three radio drama series and two television series.
The recent 2009 BBC series was a loose adaptation of the novel, and starred Dougray Scott as Bill Masen, as well as Joely Richardson, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Jason Priestley.
For this adaptation, Renck is attached to direct and executive produce. The Swedish director won two Emmys in 2019 for Chernobyl, which included Outstanding Directing as well as Limited Series.
He was also previously attached to direct HBO Max's Dune: The Sisterhood series but has exited the project alongside former lead Shirley Henderson. Renck will be joined by Don Murphy and Susan Montford, who will executive produce for Angry Films.
Interestingly, Renck's Chernobyl collaborator Craig Mazin – who created and wrote the HBO/Sky drama – is also having great success at the moment with a similar premise in video game turned smash hit drama, The Last of Us.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
