Netflix and 6th & Idaho have secured the rights to Sci-Fi classic Way Station
By Verona Jones
Netflix and Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho will be turning classic Sci-Fi novel Way Station into a large-scale sci-fi thriller. Netflix and Reeves are reaching out to writers now to develop the Netflix Original movie.
Way Station, based on the Hugo Award winning novel written by Clifford D. Simak published in 1963, will be produced by 6th & Idaho’s Reeves, Adam Kassan and Rafi Crohn, with Adam Massey and Lincoln Stalmaster involved according to Deadline. This will be 6th & Idaho’s first look producing deal with Netflix. Currently, they are developing Animal Farm, Button Man, Idol, and Recursion. Reeves will be separately preparing to direct the new iteration of Batman at Warner Bros. starring Robert Pattison (Twilight).
Way Station is literally that. A way station for aliens traveling from one planet to another and is manned by Enoch Wallace. Wallace was an American civil war veteran chosen by an alien Wallace calls ‘Ulysses’ after civil war general Ulysses S. Grant. Travelers arrive by teleportation, and one of Wallace’s jobs is to ensure that an alien’s interplanetary travel is as comfortable as possible. That they adjust to earth’s atmosphere with little problem.
Everything runs smoothly, until almost a hundred years later, when the United States government suddenly realizes that our hero isn’t aging or dying. Now, they are very interested in him and what he is doing. If being under continual observation wasn’t bad enough, Wallace’s long-time exposure to alien technology has given him ‘gifts’ and now he is able to see the demise of the earth.
This establishes the premise of the story. What will happen to Wallace and more importantly, what will happen to Earth and her interplanetary travelling aliens. Since Netflix and Reeves are just now reaching to writers, no date has been set for when actual filming will start.
So, the demise of our hero and earth will have to wait awhile, along with any questions about what will happen to the aliens. However, stay tuned to Netflix as we get further updates on filming dates and potential release date.