'Borne' TV Series, Based On Novels By 'Annihilation' Writer Jeff VanderMeer, Coming To AMC

Jeff VanderMeer's novel Annihilation was adapted into an Alex Garland feature film that captivated critics but was largely ignored by major audiences. But perhaps his work will achieve greater success on the small screen. AMC is developing a TV series based on the Borne novels by the Annihilation writer, following a "scavenger in a ruined city of the future destroyed by an evil company [who] discovers a mysterious creature."Deadline reports that AMC has acquired the TV rights to VanderMeer's popular Borne series, which takes place in a postapocalyptic world overrun by biotechnology. The story follows a young scavenger who discovers a creature she names "Borne," a result of an experiment by the evil Company that rules the city. Here is the synopsis per Deadline:

Borne tells the story of Rachel who, surviving as a scavenger in a ruined city of the future destroyed by an evil company, discovers a mysterious creature she longs to keep despite her companion's warnings and her own reservations. "Am I a person?" Borne asked me. "Yes, you are a person," I told him. "But like a person, you can be a weapon, too." The stand-alone Dead Astronauts details the fight against the Company in a spectacular adventure across time and space.

VanderMeer will serve as an executive producer and creative consultant on the project. No showrunner or writer has yet been set by AMC.

"I'm so excited about this partnership and working with AMC on the Borne universe," VanderMeer said in a statement accompanying the TV series announcement. "I've had such productive, energizing, and creative conversations with the wonderful folks involved and look forward to the road ahead."

"The Borne Universe is a totally unique piece of IP and Jeff has created a vivid postapocalyptic world with enormous opportunity for a visual medium like television," executive vice president of programming for AMC Studios Ben Davis added.

Borne sounds like an intriguingly high-concept piece of sci-fi television, though one that may not be easy for major audiences to process. That unfortunately seems to be the pattern for VanderMeer, though in the hands of an expert showrunner however, Borne could be something great.