MGM+, the streaming platform formerly known as Epix, is adding another adaptation to its lineup: the series Beacon 23, which comes from creator Zak Penn and is based on Hugh Howey’s tale about a space lighthouse. The eight-episode series was originally intended to air on Spectrum Originals, which no longer exists.
All of those details are well and good, but the important one is this: The show stars Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, pictured above) as a “government agent” who finds herself in something of a test of wills with a lighthouse keeper.
Headey’s Aster makes her way to the mysterious Beacon 23, which is run by an AI and a human named Halan (Stephan James), described as “a stoic ex-military man.” According to Variety, “Halan begins to question whether Aster is friend or foe, as her ability to disguise her agenda and motives could make her a formidable opponent.”
This is all very vague and makes one hope that a trailer arrives quickly. The book summary isn’t much more help, as it’s just about the lighthouses—er, beacons:
For centuries, men and women have manned lighthouses to ensure the safe passage of ships. It is a lonely job, and a thankless one for the most part. Until something goes wrong. Until a ship is in distress. In the twenty-third century, this job has moved into outer space. A network of beacons allows ships to travel across the Milky Way at many times the speed of light. These beacons are built to be robust. They never break down. They never fail. At least, they aren’t supposed to.
It’s an intriguing premise, but I for one cannot forget that Zak Penn wrote Elektra and X-Men: The Last Stand, and so I am trying not to let my hopes rise too high. Penn created the series, but shares showrunning duties with Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead).
The beacon lights up on November 12th.
This post was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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