YouTube Red orders Sony’s Origin story drama

Subscription VOD service YouTube Red has ordered a sci-fi drama called Origin that has China International Television Corporation (CITVC) and Sony Pictures Television (CPT) attached.

The ten-part drama comes from Sony-owned UK prodco Left Bank Pictures (The Crown) and Knighfall producer Midnight Radio, with CITVC and SPT’s international production arm producing in association.

Origin is billed as a “chilling new sci-fi thriller” for 2018 in which abandoned passengers on a spacecraft bound for a distant plant band together to work for survival, only to realise one of them is not who they claim to be.

Emerging scribe Mika Watkins, who has written for shows such as Troy and Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, is creator, writer and executive producer.

Left Bank CEO Andy Harries is another executive producer, as are his colleagues Rob Bullock and Suzanne Mackie, plus Midnight Radio’s André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg.

YouTube’s global head of original content Susanne Daniels said the sci-fi and adventure genres “are huge” on the video site, adding: “Our audience will be intrigued by the unexpected plot twists and turns in this bold, studio-quality thriller.”

The show has been in the works for some time, and marks a first major gig for Watkins, whose star has been rising in the UK.

“Mika is an exceptional new voice and we are excited to bring her first major project to the screen with our friends at YouTube Red,” said Harries.

Origin also marks one of the first major series commissioned since Wayne Garvie was named as president of international production at SPT. He described the show as “a truly global project that brings together partners from the US, UK and China to create a unique and thrilling space drama”.

YouTube Red is currently available in US, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South Korea.