Apple in Bidding War for J.J. Abrams Sci-Fi Drama [Updated]

Apple and HBO are embroiled in a bidding war for a new sci-fi drama television series penned by J.J. Abrams, reports Variety.

Little is known about the series at this time, but it's said to deal with a "world's battle against a monstrous, oppressive force," and it marks the first television series Abrams has written since "Fringe" in 2008.


Most recently, Abrams wrote "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and he is working on the upcoming and as of yet untitled "Star Wars: Episode IX." In the past, Abrams has worked on shows that include "Lost," "Felicity," and "Alias."

Abrams would serve as executive producer on the sci-fi series, alongside Ben Stephenson, head of TV for Abrams' Bad Robot Productions. The series would be produced by Warner Bros. Television, and while Variety says Apple and HBO are the top bidders at this time, the studio is open to other bidders.

Apple already has two other sci-fi shows in the works, including a revival of 1985 Steven Spielberg sci-fi series "Amazing Stories" and an untitled space drama developed by Ronald D. Moore, known for "Battlestar Galactica."

Update 2/1: HBO ended up winning the bidding war for a new sci-fi drama from J.J. Abrams, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The upcoming show is called "Demimonde," and it is about a family (a mother who is a scientist, her husband, and her daughter) who get into a car crash. The mother winds up in a coma, leading the daughter to begin digging through her experiments in the basement. The daughter is transported to another world where she must battle against a monstrous, oppressive force. HBO describes the series as "an epic and intimate sci-fi fantasy drama."