During the last COVID-19 lockdown, I spent a lot of time binging Seinfeld. Not everyone’s cup of tea, and I agree by the end of it I was ready for some good, speculative television.
But, as I scrolled through Netflix and Hulu, I really didn’t find anything that piqued my interest.
However, there are a lot of upcoming sci-fi shows (and fantasy ones, too) that have me pretty excited. Let’s check them out:
The Wheel of Time (2021)
The Wheel of Time is an upcoming fantasy TV show from Sony Pictures and Amazon Prime Video, based on the book series by Robert Jordan.
The Wheel of Time is probably going to be the next Game of Thrones, but with more magic. The series follows Rand al’Thor, a young farmboy who discovers he’s the mystical hero from ancient lore, the Dragon. There’s intrigue, danger, magical-objects-that-people-shouldn’t-be-touching, and sassy bards with colorful cloaks.
If you love Lord of the Rings, this show is for you.
The show has already been approved for a second season, and we can expect the premiere on Amazon Prime Video sometime before the end of the year.
The Sandman (TBA)
Neil Gaiman is no stranger to television and movie deals. His work is all over the silver screen, including American Gods, Good Omens, Stardust, and now, Anasi Boys, having found a home at Amazon.
But, talks about producing his Sandman comic book series have largely gone unnoticed until now. Warner Bros. and Netflix signed a deal to start producing The Sandman as a television series, to stream on Netflix.
The show follows along with the comic book series (published from 1989-1996), exploring the world of sleep and dreams. Tom Sturridge has been cast as Dream, the main character, and many other notable names make up the supporting cast, including Stephen Fry, David Thewlis, Patton Oswald, and Gwendoline Christie.
As of now, The Sandman does not have a set air date.
The Book of Boba Fett (December 2021)
The Mandalorian really swept Star Wars fans, new and old, off their feet. It was funny, thrilling, immersive, and everything Star Wars was meant to be.
Plus, it re-introduced Boba Fett, the famous bounty hunter. He’s now getting his own spin-off show, which will premiere on Disney+ in December 2021.
The Book of Boba Fett is a part of a collection of Star Wars shows, including The Mandalorian, Ashoka, and Rangers of the New Republic, which will all be interconnected.
Not much has been released about the show, but it’s clear that Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen will both be reprising their roles as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand.
Foundation (September, 2021)
The Foundation series (published from 1943-1993) by Isaac Asimov were wildly popular and influential to the science fiction genre, and now the series is finally coming to the big screen.
Apple TV acquired the rights to the series in 2018, and production began from there. The showrunner, David Goyer, said that his vision is to show the world o f Foundation in 80 episodes—80 hours of film. Whether his dream will become a reality, it’s too soon to say.
But, if a star cast and an Expanse-esque trailer mean anything, Foundation is likely to be very interesting, in the slightest.
The show is set to premiere in September 2021 on Apple TV.
Cowboy Bepop (2021)
You may be familiar with the popular space-bounty-hunter anime from 1997, Cowboy Bepop. The show has become a cult classic for anime and science fiction fans alike. In the show, a ragtag team of bounty hunters travel the galaxy tracking down criminals.
In 2017, it was announced that Netflix would be producing a live-action version of Cowboy Bepop, and it’s recently been slated for a fall 2021 release.
So far, there hasn’t been a trailer for the show, but the producers have released a behind the scenes teaser featuring one of the main characters, the corgi, Ein.
As new details about these upcoming sci-fi shows become available, we’ll be sure to keep you updated! In the mean time, check out some of our other blog content!