The last we heard of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian MaddAddam series, Darren Aronofsky was looking to adapt it for HBO. With that deal falling through in 2016, Entertainment Weekly reports that Paramount Television and Anonymous Content have won the bidding rights—which could make for three Atwood TV adaptations in a short span of time.
Where The Handmaid’s Tale centers on the authoritarian regime of Gilead, the dystopia of the MaddAddam series focuses much more on corporations and the environment. The books jump forward and backward in time, telling the story from the perspectives of both the human survivors of a great Waterless Flood that wipes out most of the population in The Year of the Flood, and characters like the Snowman in Oryx and Crake, who recalls when the corporations replaced the government and set these environmental and societal catastrophes into motion.
MaddAddam (as it would appear the series is currently titled) will be executive-produced by David Kanter and Bard Dorros, along with Angus Wall, Linda Carlson and Kent Kubena from Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to be bringing MaddAddam Trilogy to television,” Dorros and Kanter said in a joint statement. “The worlds of Oryx & Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MadAddam beautifully illustrate the extraordinary range of Margaret Atwood’s imagination and go deeply afield in time and global evolution presenting fascinating opportunities to dramatize the wildest vision of the future ever shown on television.” Amy Powell, president of Paramount TV, added, “Margaret Atwood’s unique and singular literary voice speaks to the greater issues facing our current climate and resonates with fans worldwide; the MaddAddam Trilogy is no exception.”
Atwood, who has been involved in the recent adaptations of The Handmaid’s Tale and Alias Grace, said, “I am very happy with the vision described to me by Angus, Kent, David, Bard, and Amy, as well as the stunning visual presentation they put together. I very much look forward to working with them”
No network has yet been announced for the adaptation.
