Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST Develops Moreau

Gunpowder & Sky’s sci-fi label DUST is developing Moreau, a series that puts a modern spin on H.G. Wells’ classic novel The Island of Dr. Moreau.

Moreau focuses on world-renowned scientist Dr. Jessica Moreau, whose pioneering work in genetic engineering catches the eye of a billionaire backer willing to stop at nothing to reach the next step of human evolution. Zack Stentz (X-Men: First Class, Thor, Rim of the World, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is attached to write the series.

Stentz said: “The double helix wasn’t even a twinkle in Watson & Crick’s eye when H.G. Wells first wrote The Island of Dr. Moreau, but his 1896 novel proved astonishingly prescient about how unlocking the secrets of DNA would open the door to humanity playing God with the natural world in strange and frightening ways. And now, in the shadow of the CRISPR revolution, it felt like the perfect time to revisit Moreau and bring it into our own 21st-century world of transgenic animals, designer babies and other scientific advances Wells never could have dreamed of. I’m delighted to be working with Eric, Geoff and the Gunpowder & Sky team to welcome a whole new generation to the good doctor’s terrifying island.”

Eric Bromberg, senior VP at Gunpowder & Sky, said: “Zack took a time-honored classic and brought it into the 21st century. Together, we’re creating a story that’s scarily befitting of today’s world, filled with seemingly limitless, and oftentimes alarming, scientific advancements. Frankenstein and Doudna have nothing on Jessica Moreau.”

Geoffrey James Clark, executive producer at Gunpowder & Sky, said: “This series gives us a chance to work with Zack, one of the most prolific writers in the business. We couldn’t have genetically engineered a better writer for this project and can’t wait to take sci-fi fans on a wild ride with Zack driving.”