They might have suffered a cinematic setback with Jupiter Ascending’s move from its summer berth to a much less attractive February 2015 slot, but Andy and Lana Wachowski’s ambitious plan for a new Netflix series is proceeding along more smoothly. Sens8, as the show is now called, has announced an impressive international cast that includes Naveen Andrews, Daryl Hannah, Brian J. Smith, Tuppence Middleton, Aml Ameen, Freema Agyeman, Tena Desae, Doona Bae, Max Riemelt, Alfonso Herrera, Erendira, Jamie Clayton, Miguel Silvestre and Terrence Mann.
Babylon 5 creator and Thor co-writer J. Michael Straczynski is running the show alongside the Wachowskis, planning a globe-trotting series full of high stakes, emotion and special effects.
“The series follows eight characters around the world who, in the aftermath of a tragic death, find themselves linked to each other mentally and emotionally,” Straczynski tells Deadline. “They can not only see and talk to each other as though they were in the same place, they have access to each other’s deepest secrets. Not only must they figure out what happened and why and what it means for the future of humanity, they must do so while being hunted by an organization out to capture, kill or vivisect them…”
The eight central figures are apparently being played by Smith, Middleton, Ameen, Bae, Silvestri, Desae, Riemelt and Clayton, and the show is already shooting a hefty schedule that will take in Chicago, San Francisco, London, Iceland, Seoul, Mumbai, Berlin, Mexico City and Nairobi. Definite points for ambition and scope there. Whether the show lives up to all this effort is another matter, but we’re hopeful. Sens8 should hit our screens via Netflix next year.