Adaptations of Philip K. Dick stories are always welcome and soon, we’ll be getting a whole load of them thanks to Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. This British/American co-production (exec produced by Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston) will consist of ten standalone episodes, each bringing to life one of Dick’s short stories. The currently announced adaptations are: The Commuter, The Impossible Planet, Crazy Diamond, Father Thing, Real Life, The Hood Maker and Kill All Others.
The show already boasts an impressive cast, including luminaries like Timothy Spall, Steve Buscemi, Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Tuppence Middleton and many more. Now, it’s been announced that Bates Motel and The Conjuring star Vera Farmiga has climbed on board. She’s set to appear in director Dee Rees’ Kill All Others, playing a demagogic politician who makes a shocking statement that encourages citizens to commit acts of violence, which spirals until there’s people being murdered left and right and everybody seems weirdly blasé. The episode also stars Mel Rodriguez, Jason Mitchell, Glenn Morshower and Sarah Brown.
It’s possible that UK station Channel 4 is hungry to get back a bite of something like Black Mirror. Together with production company Endemol, the channel aired the first two seasons, but were outbid for the third by Netflix. If it stays close to Dick’s stories, Electric Dreams should share much in common with Black Mirror: each a miniature movie showcasing a world gone horribly wrong with imagination and style.
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams will air on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and internationally online on Amazon Video. As always, watch this space for more.
