8 Sci-Fi Movies That Would Make Great TV Shows

As we've explained elsewhere, Westworld is the latest hot ticket on television. A loose adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1973 movie about a robot theme park gone wrong, it's an ingenious 21st century update of the source material that keys into modern concerns and ideas, like artificial intelligence and the uncanny valley. Given Westworld's success, we imagine TV networks will be looking to pick other classics of sci-fi cinema off the shelf and give then a small screen reboot or off-shoot. Whether related to Westworld or not, two new TV shows based off pre-existing sci-fi properties have recently been announced - a new War of the Worlds adaptation and, oddly enough, a series inspired by Jim Carrey memory loss movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Which other science fiction films really need a TV adaptation though, either because the original movie was so great that it deserves to be continued, or because the potential of the premise was not mined enough? Read on for our eight choices, and as always, be sure to leave your own in the comments below. 8) The Matrix The Movie: In 1999, the Wachowski siblings made one of the most influential genre films of the next decade in The Matrix. Its sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, are rightly criticized for not being as good, but the first film remains a classic of its kind. The TV Show: Something Westworld shows is that TV audiences are hungry for smart idea-led science fiction, especially if it has an existential and philosophical edge. If someone out there wants the next Westworld on their hands, the perfect property to adapt would be The Matrix. For one, virtual reality is probably even more pertinent now than it was back in 1999, given that the technology has come forward leaps and bounds since then. The Wachowskis themselves have even dabbled in TV already, namely Netflix’s Sense8 (the second season of which is arriving soon). As such, a Matrix series doesn’t seem such an absurd idea. Netflix would probably be the perfect home for it, as well. Story-wise, it would be best to tackle an alternate version of the same idea with different characters, rather than following the narrative trajectory of the original trilogy. That way, it would keep things fresh and could also go some way to fixing the mistakes that the latter two films made. 7) The Last Starfighter The Movie: Though it isn’t talked about much nowadays, 1984’s The Last Starfighter is notable for being one of the first films to use an extensive amount of CGI (along with 1982’s Tron, of course). Its story shouldn’t be written off, though, as it’s a lot of fun. Teenager Alex Rogen (Lance Guest) is so good at arcade game Starfighter that he is whisked off by aliens to fight in their interstellar war. Unbeknownst to him, the game was really a test to find the one gifted enough to help save their species. Previously, everyone from Steven Spielberg to Seth Rogen had attempted to make a new movie of the property but they were all unable due to original screenwriter Jonathan R. Betuel holding the rights. Now, he's finally decided to do something about that as the writer announced back in 2015 that he was penning a TV reboot of the film, to be titled The Starfighter Chronicles. The TV Show: To this, we say “hooray,” as there is a lot of potential in Starfighter to make a great show. The central concept is practically begging to be updated from an arcade game to a video or even VR game. The only problem with this one is the budget that would be needed to create the outer space battles and whatnot. If they could find a financially savvy way of dealing with that, though, it could be a winner. 6) Jumper The Movie: Who remembers Jumper, the 2008 movie starring a post-Anakin Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell and Samuel L. Jackson? Only some of you? Well, that’s fair enough as, though, the movie did decent business at the box office, critics weren’t kind and it was mostly forgotten. That’s a shame, though, as it sported a great premise. Christensen stars as David, a young man living the high life thanks to his knack for teleportation. Unfortunately for him, though, an evil secret society – The Paladins, led by Jackson – are out to exterminate the world’s “Jumpers.” The TV Show: Part of the problem with the film was that the central idea was probably better suited to a TV series in the first place. For instance, there is a lot of mythology about the Jumpers and the Paladins that mostly gets lost in the breakneck pacing of the movie. In a TV series, this would have ample time to be explored. Director Doug Liman has also previously talked about his fascinating ideas for the abandoned sequel – which would have revealed that Jumpers can teleport into outer space and through time as well. For TV, the concept could become Jumpers - based around a team of teleporters on the run from the Paladins, perhaps with different areas of expertise. Sounds kind of awesome, doesn't it? 5) Galaxy Quest The Movie: One of the funniest sci-fi comedies out there, Galaxy Quest is a sharp-witted yet affectionate spoof of Star Trek and its associated fandom. Starring a terrific cast including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell, it features the actors of a sci-fi TV show being whisked off into space by some well-meaning aliens who think they really are their characters. After a sequel was rumoured for years, Amazon announced that they were working on a TV continuation of the movie, allegedly starring the original cast, in 2015. After the tragic death of Rickman in 2016, however, the project is said to be put on hold. The TV Show: Though you have to respect the decision to put the project to bed upon the loss of Rickman - he was undoubtedly a highlight of the film - it is sad that the Galaxy Quest TV series might be no more. The movie was somewhat ahead of its time for being so squarely aimed at sci-fi nerds and a show, perhaps in the mold of Futurama or Red Dwarf, could be a lot of fun. If there was to be a TV show, it would now have to be a re-imagining of the film, with an all-new cast – hopefully one with as much sci-fi cred as the stars of the movie. 4) Dredd The Movie: British comics character Judge Dredd had starred in a movie before (a misguided Sylvester Stallone vehicle in the 1990s), but 2012’s Dredd was the much superior effort. Though it somewhat lacked the satirical edge of the source material, the scaled-back action thriller was still a great watch. Set in a dystopian future, it saw Mega City One’s leading law enforcer (played by Karl Urban) take on Lena Headley’s drug lord. Though it was a box office bomb, fan acclaim has fanned the flames for a sequel. The TV Show: While a sequel would be all well and good, a TV show would really be the better route to go down. Seeing as there is nearly 40 years’ worth of source material to mine, the medium would be the perfect place to explore Dredd’s expansive world. It’s also true that comic book TV is probably more wide-ranging than comic book films, where traditional spandex-wearing superheroes are still preferred. In Netflx’s Marvel universe, for instance, things are allowed to go darker and more adult. Likewise, the focus on gritty action over futuristic spectacle in Dredd proved that the concept could work on a television budget. Thankfully, discussions for a TV series are apparently in the early stages, with Urban saying that he's committed to the role whatever form a follow-up takes. 3) Men In Black The Movies: Since 1998, The Men in Black franchise has spawned three movies that have all been commercial successes. With the dream team of cocky young Agent J (Will Smith) and stuffy mentor Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), the films mix family-friendly alien intrigue with great comedy. The next move for the series is the touted Men in Black/22 Jump Street crossover, which probably won’t feature Smith or Jones. The TV Show: We can’t say that we’re really hooked on that crossover idea. Instead, it would be a lot more interesting if the franchise switched mediums and a TV show was produced in its place. 1990s kids might remember the animated series that spun off from the first movie, but we would love a live-action version. The Men in Black organization is so vast there would be no problem with replacing J and K – just follow a different pair of alien-busting secret agents, saving humanity from extra-terrestrial threats. Come on, it’s a premise that's tailor-made for the monster-of-the-week television format. Something the show could do to distance itself from the films is take a different tonal approach, perhaps something closer to the much darker comic books that the movies are very loosely based on. That’s not to say we want to lose all the fun of the films, just an increase in scares and dramatic scale. 2) Cloverfield The Movies: 2008’s Cloverfield was an enjoyable entry in the found-footage genre, as a group of friends record an alien invasion of New York. In 2016, a tangential follow-up was released - 10 Cloverfield Lane. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman, it was a tense thriller about a woman who is kidnapped by a man claiming that the apocalypse has occurred. Producer J.J. Abrams has said that he hopes to continue the Cloverfield saga in a series of separate movies linked by common themes. Like a big screen version of The Twilight Zone. The TV Show: While it would be fascinating to see an anthology film series, as such a thing has never really been pulled off successfully, a more natural home for Abrams’ idea is TV. Anthology shows are in vogue at the moment – from the traditional weekly structure of Black Mirror to the ‘new story every season’ approach of American Horror Story and True Detective. A Cloverfield show could fit either mold, but a season-long story would probably be most effective. Much like the two films seen so far, each run could take a look at the alien invasion from different perspectives, all working together to enrich one single storytelling universe but without being too dependent on each other. 1) Star Wars The Movies: Do we actually need to give an introduction here? Since 1977, Star Wars has grown to become the single most landmark sci-fi movie franchise of all time. Given that, it's surprising how limited its excursions to television have been. Back in the day, you had child-friendly cartoons like Droids and Ewoks - and the god-awful Star Wars Christmas Special, of course - while in recent years we've had The Clone Wars TV series (plural) and the currently running Star Wars Rebels. These later offerings are great expansions of the universe, but the franchise is really in need of a live-action TV series that really embraces how good a Star Wars show could be. The TV Show: There are just so many options for a TV series out there. For one, it could be set in the timeline of the prequel trilogy (or even before), the original trilogy or the modern movies. It could focus on the Jedi/Sith battle or the other folks caught up in the conflict (a bit like Rogue One will do). The possibilities are almost literally endless. Star Wars' move to Disney might have reinvigorated the films but unfortunately, the buyout had an adverse affect on its TV side. Before selling to the House of Mouse, George Lucas was apparently working on a live-action TV show. We don't know much about what it would have consisted of, but let's hope that Lucasfilm turn back to this idea sometime soon. The current word on the grapevine is that a TV show is being considered - to air on Disney-owned ABC - but that it isn't high up on their priorities list. Let's hope that changes soon.