For nearly a decade,Hugh Howey’s dystopian sci-fi novelWoolhas been in development, first as a feature at 20th Century Fox withRidley ScottandSteve Zaillianattached to produce, and then as an AMC series fromLaToya Morgan. Apple has since come to the rescue and picked up the long-gestating project, which will now starRebecca FergusonofMission: Impossiblefame.
Apple has givenWoola series order and the show will draw from Howey’s bestselling trilogy of post-apocalyptic novels. Other books in theSiloseries, as it’s known, includeShiftandDust, but there are also several short stories and a graphic novel, as seen below. ThoughWoolbegan as an online sensation, Howey has sold nearly half a million hard copies in the U.S. alone, in addition to roughly 2 million ebooks.
The story takes placein a ruined future where toxic air has forced a community to live in a giant underground silo that is hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Ferguson will star as Juliette, an independent and hardworking engineer.
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The series hails from Emmy-nominated writerGraham Yost, who served as a writer on Apple’s upcoming event seriesMasters of the Air, and directorMorten Tyldum, who previously directed Apple’s excellent limited seriesDefending Jacob. The two of them will executive produceWoolalong with Ferguson and Howey as well asRemi Aubuchon,Nina JackandIngrid Escajeda. The series is being produced by AMC Studios, which knows a thing about world-building shows, having also producedThe Walking Dead.
I’ve been writing aboutWoolfor close to 10 years and it always sounded like a really cool project, though I’m glad it’s moving forward as a series as opposed to a movie, as an ongoing show gives Tyldum and Yost the canvas to tell Howey’s sprawling story in full, and Ferguson makes for a great anchor. Tyldum is best known for directingThe Imitation Game, while Yost’s past credits includeJustifiedand HBO’sBand of Brothers. He’s also an executive producer on Apple’s upcoming spy seriesSlow HorsesstarringGary Oldman. May it be anotherTinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I say!
As for Ferguson, the Swedish actress will soon be seen inDenis Villeneuve’s star-studdedDune,which hits theaters on Oct. 1. However, you’ll be able to catch her before then inLisa Joy’s sci-fi movieReminiscence, which reunites Ferguson with herGreatest Showmanco-starHugh Jackman. That film will hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously this August. Ferguson was last seen sucking souls inDoctor Sleep, and she’s currently shootingMission: Impossible 7,which is slated for release next May. To say I’m excited to see that action-packed sequel would be an understatement, to say the least!
KEEP READING:‘Mission: Impossible 7’: Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames Tease Return in New Set Photo
