Shortly after pulling the plug on THE EXPANSE, it would appear as if Syfy is willing to launch another sciene fiction drama with the order of a pilot for RESIDENT ALIEN. Based on the Dark Horse comic book series of the same name written by Peter Hogan with art by Steve Parkhouse, the story revolves around Harry, an alien who, after crash landing on Earth, adopts the identity of an elderly doctor who dies in an unrelated car crash. Using his telepathic abilities, Harry is able trick most humans into thinking he's an ordinary citizen. Years into his residency, he's contacted by the mayor of his city, and is asked to serve as a stand-in for a fellow practitioner who'd been murdered. As the investigation continues, Harry finds that he's become fascinated by the humans, which creates a moral dilemma between his mission and a gut feeling that humankind might be worth saving.
Adapting the story for the small screen will be FAMILY GUY producer and writer Chris Sheridan. In regard to his role, Sheridan will executive produce the pilot alongside Dark Horse Entertainment president Mike Richardson (THE MASK) and senior vice president of production Keith Goldberg (THE LEGEND OF TARZAN) and Amblin's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank (THE AMERICANS).
The move to bring RESIDENT ALIEN to Syfy comes as part of Dark Horse Entertainment's overall deal with Universal Cable Productions.
Do you think the premise for RESIDENT ALIEN sounds cool? Have you read the series? Are there any other Dark Horse-published comics you'd like to see adapted to a TV or film format? Let us know in the comments section below.
The pilot for RESIDENT ALIEN will be set up as a part of Syfy's 2018 development cycle. This has me thinking that we'll get to know Harry much better in 2019. Stay tuned.