The Expanse Creators Launch Sci-Fi-Focused Content Company

The team behind the hit Prime Video series The Expanse has set up a new multiplatform content company, Expanding Universe, with a development deal in place at Amazon MGM Studios.

Expanding Universe is led by Emmy-nominated showrunner Naren Shankar, director Breck Eisner and best-selling novelists and screenwriters Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (who publish under the pen name James S.A. Corey). The first project, and the Amazon MGM Studios deal in development, is The Captive’s War, an adaptation of the new sci-fi trilogy by Corey that launched in August with the New York Times best-selling novel The Mercy of Gods.

The Captive’s War is set in a distant future of galactic empires and alien civilizations. It is inspired by the biblical Book of Daniel and follows a group of prisoners who rise from the ashes of catastrophe to destroy their conqueror’s society from within. It is an epic tale about the transformative power of individuality in a totalitarian world.

The Captive’s War is executive produced by Shankar, who also serves as writer and showrunner; Abraham and Franck, who will also write; and Eisner, who will also direct. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

Eisner said, “Expanding Universe is focused on developing sci-fi narratives with sweeping world-building and elevated storylines, geared toward multi-platform expressions in filmed entertainment, gaming, and publishing. The Captive’s War is a perfect launchpad for our model.”

Shankar said, “On The Expanse, we built a deep, immersive universe filled with great characters and intense, emotional stories—on a budget that wasn’t insane. And now we’re bringing that expertise to new storytelling universes and platforms.”

Franck said, “The Expanse was originally created to be a video game, then it became an RPG, then a novel, then a show and then a couple of video games. In a way, it was a roadmap for how Expanding Universe is developing projects now.”

Abraham said, “Our track record has already attracted some exciting material: original features, adaptations by other novelists’ work, and even legacy IPs, which would be a blast to reimagine in a modern context. In success, we have the opportunity to bring a new generation of science fiction to the screen.”