Netflix has an exciting Philip K. Dick adaptation lined up for sci-fi fans, but it is hard not to see how it highlights one harsh truth about classic adaptations of the genre.
Now that Stranger Things has ended its run, it looks like Netflix is setting its eyes on leveling up its sci-fi game with more ambitious adaptations. Since Philip K. Dick’s works have previously worked incredibly well on the screen, it is not surprising that Netflix, too, is turning to the author’s catalog for its next big genre project.
However, history has repeatedly revealed one harsh truth about classic sci-fi adaptations. And from the looks of it, Netflix’s take on Philip K. Dick’s work will not change the trend.
Netflix’s Take On Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made Sounds Great, But It Has A Sci-Fi Problem
Netflix is adapting Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made. The streaming service’s take on the cult novel will be titled The Future Is Ours. Given how the production team behind shows like The Eternaut and One Hundred Years of Solitude is working on the show, it is hard not to be optimistic about it. However, the show already has one major sci-fi issue: it is changing the original book’s story in one significant way.
In the original books, an alien species is introduced as a crucial backdrop to the global political tensions, shaping humanity’s anxieties about survival and uncertainty. The Netflix sci-fi show will reportedly delete this plotline altogether, which removes a significant arc of the book from the show.
This is not the first time a sci-fi adaptation of a classic book has been “reworked” for the small screen. While it is disappointing that the show will significantly drift away from the book, it is also understandable why this change is being made. Many classic sci-fi works, especially Philip K. Dick’s novels, focus less on conventional plot progression and more on philosophical explorations of humanity’s perception of reality and free will.
Owing to this, delivering direct book-to-screen adaptations of his work can be a complex feat. Even books like George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides have gotten more modern TV takes because some aspects of their original stories either seem dated or too complex for the screen.
Hopefully, despite this change, Netflix’s take on The World Jones Made will not disappoint.
Netflix’s Upcoming Philip K. Dick Adaptation Still Has Immense Potential
While most details surrounding Netflix’s The Future is Ours are still under wraps, its official synopsis reveals it will be set in the year set in the year 2047, where an ecological disaster has resulted in “draconian measures to safeguard the environment and combat widespread hunger and violence.“
The show’s production is already in full swing and Netflix’s VP of content for Latin America Francisco Ramos has called it (via Variety) one of their “most ambitious and complex productions, at the same level of scale and complexity as One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Eternaut.“
These early revelations and statements alone seem to spell a positive future for the series despite its book changes. While only time will tell how the Netflix Philip K. Dick adaptation will eventually turn out, it is hard not to hope that it will not be weighed down by the same pitfalls that have plagued many previous sci-fi adaptations.
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