'Andromeda Strain' Remake Infects A&E

Zap2It.com | May 1, 2007

Ridley Scott

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Ridley and Tony Scott will produce the miniseries

Ridley Scott and Tony Scott are bringing their long-gestating miniseries adaptation of "The Andromeda Strain" to A&E.

The cable network announced on Tuesday (May 1) that production on the Michael Crichton killer-bacteria drama will begin this summer with Mikael Salomon ("Salem's Lot") at the helm.

Robert Schenkkan ("The Quiet American") scripted the four-hour project.

Both Scotts plus David W. Zucker will executive produce for Scott Free Productions along with Tom Thayer of Traveler's Rest Films.

"'The Andromeda Strain' is the perfect fit for A&E's unique brand of dramatic entertainment, featuring evocative stories, powerful characters and A-list auspices," says Bob DeBitetto, A&E's executive vice president and general manages. "Ridley Scott and Tony Scott are two of the true visionaries of our time whose bodies of work have molded our perception of progressive storytelling, on film and television. We're thrilled to be working with them and their team on this iconic material."

Crichton's novel focuses on the outbreak of a deadly bacteria that reaches Earth via a downed satellite. After the bacteria wipes out a small town, a team of scientists rushes in to try to limit the damage.

The "Andromeda Strain" remake was originally announced back in 2004 as a four-hour miniseries for Sci Fi Channel, a logical pairing given that the Robert Wise-directed 1971 film is a part of Sci Fi parent NBC Universal's library.