He may never have been to space, or indeed worked for NASA, but author Andy Weir knew enough about science to write The Martian, which Ridley Scott turned into 2015's award-winning sci-fi adventure. And though he once mostly spent his time writing books, Weir is getting a shot at creating a TV series with Mission Control.
The show has been ordered as a pilot by American network CBS, and will feature a familiar subject for Weir: astronauts. The story follows a group of next generation NASA explorers as they figure out their personal and professional lives in a world where there is no margin for error. Simon Kinberg, who also produced The Martian is executive producer, and Weir will work on scripts with the likes of and Charles H. Eglee. The concept sounds a little like Defying Gravity, which switched viewpoints between astronauts on a long-distance mission and the crew back at base. It was described as Grey's Anatomy in space, but couldn't fight the gravity well of low ratings, and was cancelled after 13 initial episodes.
The Weir deal came at the same time as a new comedy was commissioned from actor/producer Mark Feuerstein, based on his real life experiences. 9J, 9K And 9L will see a character based on Feuerstein trying to set boundaries in his life while living in an apartment squeezed between one containing his parents and the other rented by his brother and sister-in-law.