“The Ark” Flies to Syfy with “Independence Day” Writer/Producer Dean Devlin at the Helm

From Dean Devlin, the writer/producer behind the epic blockbuster “Independence Day” and the feature film “Stargate,” comes the new SYFY original series “The Ark.” Jonathan Glassner, writer/producer of the beloved series “Stargate SG-1,” will serve as co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Devlin.

Ordered straight to series for 12 episodes for SYFY in the U.S., “The Ark” will begin production in March at PFI Studios in Belgrade, Serbia, with the premiere announced at a later date. Casting will commence shortly. Devlin’s Electric Entertainment International Sales division is selling all international rights.

The series takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies, and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.

“‘The Ark‘ is a perfect fit for SYFY audiences and we know fans will gravitate to this heart-racing story from Dean Devlin, one of the most accomplished and respected sci-fi writers working today,” said Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, NBCU Entertainment, and Streaming. “With the recent success of both ‘Resident Alien’ and ‘Chucky,’ the network is home to several of the most creative storytellers working in all of television.”

“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to partner with SYFY again and can’t think of a better collaborator than Jonathan Glassner to bring this series to life,” Devlin said.

SYFY, one of the top 10 highest-reaching cable entertainment networks across all key demos, is home to two of the top three new cable series in 2021 in 18-49 with “Resident Alien” and “Chucky.”

Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner will executive produce alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Jonathan English of Balkanic Media will also produce.