
EXCLUSIVE: After hitting gold with horror series The Walking Dead, AMC is looking to expand its genre portfolio with a sci-fi drama. The cable network has bought Thunderstruck, an hourlong UFO project from feature writing/directing duo Paul Boardman and Scott Derrickson and former Battlestar Galactica executive producer David Eick. Boardman and Derrickson will write the drama, about powerful and enigmatic entities that begin appearing all over the world.
After one shows up in the town of Great Falls, Montana, the local citizens must grapple with the dramatic effects and growing mystery of repeated visitations. Boardman and Derrickson will executive produce Thunderstruck with Eick. Derrickson is set to direct. This marks the first major foray into television for Boardman & Derrickson, who wrote The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, with Derrickson directing. The duo are writing Zwart Water for Derrickson to direct, with Charlize Theron attached to star and produce. Eick is co-writing two high-profile series projects with Guillermo Del Toro – Hulk at ABC, based on the Marvel character, and Inhuman at HBO. Boardman, Derrickson and Eick are with WME.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.


Let’s hope it’s better than the god awful FALLING SKIES…
Sounds fine to me. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to nothing like quite a few recent drama series projects that have been in development at AMC. And I just Googled “David Eick Inhuman HBO” and got nothing but this article. Anybody know anything about this other David Eick project? Could Nellie make some inquiries about it?
David Eick is involved? I am interested.
What’s Inhuman about?
Alien visit in Great Falls? Brilliant location with the Air Force base surrounded by open plains for hundreds of miles around. Let’s hope they take advantage of Helena’s tax incentives and film exterior shots locally. Especially utilizing the early 20th century downtown and coal mines to the south.
If it has the song from AC/DC, I’ll more than just watch it
lucky white man = david eick aka sycophant
Doing that JJ-esque thing… yawn.
What about the other sci fi project AMC is developing… Any word, bird?
Wasn’t that one a very similar concept, but set at JPL and centered on a scientist? At first, I thought this show was that one.
Look at all the white boys getting deals to make the same vanilla crap.
I know, right? I mean, I’d much rather see something more mature and mentally stimulating like Eddie Murphy doing fart jokes in a fat suit.
Again… earth & aliens, the usual suspects!
Why not a deep space alien worlds & space adventure revival for a change?
God I desperately miss those series like B5, Farscape, Trek, Galactica (TOS), Space 1999 et al…
Robert Hewitt Wolfe is working on a genuine space opera project for SyFy. It’s the only one I’ve run across being in development, among more than 30 sci fi projects (and I’m not counting the fantasy/supernatural/horror projects, which are even more numerous).
Oh PS, I almost forgot, Blood & Chrome (BSG spinoff) is not entirely dead/demoted to web series at SyFy, but I’ve basically written that one off.