Last year we learned that 20th Century Fox was working towards getting a remake of the 1988 sci-fi flick ALIEN NATION going, and now the project is inching forward by landing the writers.
THR is reporting that Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, best known for their work on the first IRON MAN movie, are writing the script for the project, which at this stage has no producer on board, although the project was originally being produced by Mark Roybal (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) and Ryan Jones when it was first announced.
The original ALIEN NATION, which starred James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, was set in a near future where…
…humans and a race of aliens are forced to co-exist, tenuously, as humans keep the newcomers mostly segregated and without rights. The story then told of the first alien police officer, who is paired with a racially insensitive partner. Soon, however, a case comes along that brings the two together in friendship and respect.
THR also reports that plot details are being kept on the downlow, but the studio is envisioning a reimagining akin to the studio's own commercial and critical hit franchise PLANET OF THE APES. We do know that the first installment will begin by telling how and why the aliens came to Earth, but not much else is known.
The original movie was a mild success when it came out and was almost immediately turned into a short-lived television series, which in turn spawned a handful of made-for-TV movies. A pilot at Syfy attempted liftoff in 2009 but never went anywhere. Hopefully this new take on ALIEN NATION will find its footing.
Pour yourself a glass of sour milk and stay away from salt water! ALIEN NATION is coming. We'll keep you posted on this one as we hear more about it.