The aliens are coming in the reimaging story of H.G. Wells' timeless classic War Of The Worlds

H.G. Wells' timeless classic War Of The Worlds is getting a modern twist. The reimaging of the story is based on a quotes from the late theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking: “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the American Indians."

Writer and Executive Producer Howard Overman explains, “This quote from Stephen Hawking was as much an inspiration for this new version of War of the Worlds as H.G. Wells’ original novel. I wanted to explore the idea that just like H. G. Wells’ aliens, mankind has an almost limitless capacity to destroy those it views as inferior or different. This fresh interpretation of the classic novel places, the intricacies of human relationships at its heart, whether between parents and children, lovers, or strangers. Cinematic, with all the mystery and intrigue of the best science fiction, this adaptation is as much a character drama as it is an action piece.”

Set-in present-day Europe, astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy, and it is definitive proof of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. The world’s population waits for further contact with baited breath. They do not have to wait long. Within days, mankind is all but wiped out; just pockets of humanity are left in an eerily deserted world.

As alien ships appear in the sky, the survivors ask a burning question – who are these attackers and why are they hell-bent on our destruction? This is a story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances - but they are more than just victims in a brutal war. For, as we will come to realize, the aliens’ savage attack on earth is not arbitrary: its seeds are being sown before our very eyes.

Emotional, cinematic and rooted in character, War Of The Worlds is a unique marriage of human drama and the best science fiction.

The drama series is executive produced by Howard Overman, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps for Urban Myth Films.

War of the Worlds is schedule to premiere on FOX in October 2019 and stars Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Léa Drucker, Adel Bencherif, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar Jones, Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron Heffernan, Stéphane Caillard and Guillaume Gouix.