War of the Worlds is getting another adaptation, and Oscar-winner Greg Kinnear (As Good as It Gets) may be its leading man. According to Variety, Kinnear is in talks to take the lead role in a series based on H.G. Wells’ iconic tale of alien invasion.
Fox and Canal Plus are developing the project as a competition for the BBC’s upcoming three-part War of the Worlds mini-series. While the BBC version aims to keep the setting to the late 19th century, when it was first written, Fox and Canal are moving the series into the present day.
Related: BBC One Adaptation of Sci-Fi Classic The War of the Worlds Begins Filming
Howard Overman (Merlin, Atlantis) is penning the Fox/Canal Plus adaptation, saying that his take will tackle themes of “racial superiority and ethnic conflict“ and will be “bold, fresh and relatable.”
The story, about aliens who invade Earth only to find they’re susceptible to common germs in our atmosphere, has seen its fair share of adaptations. There was the 1953 version written and directed by George Pal (who’d go on to make another Wells-inspired film with The Time Machine in 1960). Steven Spielberg also helmed a big-screen adaptation in 2005, along with assorted low-budget and mockbuster works loosely adapting Wells’ story.
This is the second iconic H.G. Wells story currently in development. It was just reported last week that It and It: Chapter Two director Andy Muschietti is helming a big-screen version of Wells’ The Time Machine, with producer Leonardo DiCaprio attached.
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