CBS orders Spielberg sci-fi thriller Extant to series

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Back in May we told you about a hot sci-fi script titled "Extant" that had garnered the attention of Hollywood's elite, with Warner Bros. offering to acquire the project to give it the big-screen treatment while talent agency WME looked towards making it a television series with legendary director/producer Steven Spielberg producing. Now we have word that CBS, which already airs the Spielberg-produced "Under the Dome", will be doubling down on Spielberg as they have handed out a straight-to-series order for "Extant", according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Spielberg, Greg Walker and Mickey Fisher, who penned the script, will executive produce alongside Brooklyn Weaver, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. CBS Television Distribution will handle domestic distribution, while CBS Studios International will handle worldwide rights. Adam Rodin will co-exec produce.

When we first heard of "Extant" we were given the following description, which followed…

…John and Molly Watts and their son, a human-like robot named Ethan. Molly, the space-traveling wife, is also pregnant with a baby that is part human and part alien. The family intrigue deepens in subsequent episodes.

We now have a new description for "Extant", which is described as a futuristic thriller about…

a female astronaut trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space. Her experiences lead to events that ultimately change the course of human history.

Whatever the synopsis, "Extant" sounds like a very original concept so we'll most definitely be keeping an eye out for this one. CBS will be co-producing alongside Spielberg's Amblin Television. More on "Extant" as we hear it.