Announcements and descriptions of the most anticipated TV series of 2021 – film adaptations of cult books, games and comics. What TV shows to watch in 2021?

New TV Series by Famous Directors

In recent years, almost all Hollywood directors have tried their hand at television series. However, not all of them managed to achieve success – just remember the very controversial “Strain” by Guillermo del Toro and the frankly weak “Believe” by Alfons Cuaron. But, announcements of very interesting directorial projects continue to pour in like a cornucopia, and we want to tell you about some of the most interesting ones.

Nevers

It is likely that the “Nevers” TV series will be released earlier than the other TV shows described in this article. Joss Whedon, best known for the legendary “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and Firefly, and also as a director of the “Avengers” two blockbusters, will debut on the HBO platform with the “Nevers”, new fantastic series. The television series will show London of the 19th century, which is wielded by a team of ladies with strange powers. The Victorian analogue of “X-Men” is called “Touched” and fights – as it should be – against everything bad. Although managed to get into the acting line-up of major projects, lesser-known actresses taking on the roles of the “Touched” participants, but Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead”) is the real star of the TV show.

While no one can guarantee that Whedon’s new project will be a masterpiece, “the team of Victorian lady-superheroes” already sounds interesting to say the least.

Already completely filmed, this series is now on post-production stage. Unfortunately, Joss Whedon hasn’t released a trailer or promo photos. Nevertheless, “Nevers” will be premiered sometime in 2021.

Demimonde

J. J. Abrams is also not sitting idle. Among a bewildering array of projects – including two “Mission: Impossible” films, a new version of “Star Trek”, an adaptation of the “Half-Life” video game, and “Dark Justice League” comic book – the producer took the time to develop an idea for “Demimonde”, a new television series. In the battle for a new project between many major streaming platforms, HBO won.

The series tells the story about a girl who – delving into the scientific records of her comatose mother – teleports to a parallel world fighting an incredibly dangerous threat. The protagonist’s father also enters this world after his daughter.

J. J. Abrams will write and direct the television series while Kira Snyder, best known for her work on “The Handmaid’s Tale”, will be a showrunner for the project.

The Caesars

Let’s dilute science fiction with a historical genre. Martin Scorsese, the great filmmaker, announced his return to the television series a few years ago to start filming “The Caesars”, the new TV show. He will work with Michael Hirst, the renowned screenwriter behind “The Vikings” and “The Tudors”, popular historical and near-historical television shows.

As the title suggests, the new series will tell the story of the ancient Roman emperors, starting with Julius Caesar.

For maximum immersion, the authors plan to shoot the series in Italy. While this is all there is to know about the new TV show, we hope to see this global historical TV series by one of the great directors of our time.

Upcoming book adaptations

We have already covered several fantasy novels which serial adaptations are scheduled for release in the coming years. Now, is the time to talk about other genres as well.

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Last year, Netflix’s bosses announced that they had acquired the rights to filming “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, one of the most important novels of the 20th century by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Incidentally, this project is the first television adaptation of the great novel. More than 50 years after the first publications, the writer descendants accepted the streaming giant offer. According to them, it is time for the film adaptation, and Netflix is ​​able to produce the correct TV show. The proof of this is that the streaming platform has already released many foreign-language TV series without dictating universal rules to the creators of non-American projects.

Considered a classic in magical realism, this novel tells the epic and bleak story of an entire Buendia dynasty living in the fictional Latin American town of Macondo.

“One Hundred Years of Solitude” the original television show is expected to be released in Spanish, and the series will be produced by the writer’s sons.

Since the stakes are too high, Netflix has no room for error. The filming of the television series has not yet begun, as it will be held in Colombia, a country in which the situation with coronavirus is very difficult.

The Last of the Mohicans

This novel is far from being adapted by filmmakers for the first time – in the entire history of television and cinema there have been about ten TV screen versions of “The Last of the Mohicans”.

The story of the confrontation between French troops, Indians and English settlers in the New York colony has been exciting the reader hearts for two hundred years – and now, Carey Fukunaga, director of “True Detective” and “Maniac”, successful television series, as well as a fresh film adaptation of “It” and “No Time to Die” (new “James Bond” to be premiered this fall) will bring the book’s plot to TV screens.

Fukunaga handled the script for the TV show, while Nicole Cassell, best known for her work on “The Killing”, “American Crime”, “The Leftovers” and “Westworld”, will direct it. Notably, Cassell was nominated for two Emmy Awards for “Watchmen” mini-series this year.

As one of the flagship projects of the HBO Max streaming service, “The Last of the Mohicans” definitely deserves increased interest.

Talented Mr. Ripley

In the war of film adaptations, the Showtime American TV channel also does not want to be left out. It relies on a series of novels about Tom Ripley, a character of the novels by Patricia Highsmith. As an aspiring youth who spent his childhood in poverty, he is obsessed with the desire to lead a rich life without worry. Posing as other people and committing murder, Ripley eventually becomes a real psychopath.

Highsmith’s works have been filmed several times, and the role of Tom Ripley was played by such icons as Alain Delon, Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich and Matt Damon. In order not to fall face down in the dirt, the producers invited Andrew Scott, one of the best British actors of our time, to play the lead role.

The first season of the series, which will be filmed in Italy, will include 8 episodes.

Y. The Last Man

Let’s talk about comics now.

The FX TV Channel prepares the screen version of “Y. The Last Man”, a wonderful graphic novel. An unknown disease killing the entire male population on the planet in a matter of hours is at the center of its plot. The women and Yorick, the young guy, managed to survive. In this interesting graphic novel, the authors reflect on very important issues – from women’s solidarity to the moral components of genetic experiments – and these philosophical reflections are diluted with a fascinating plot.

Talk about the cult comic strip adaptation has been going on for the last five years – and now the rights have been bought, the script has been written, the cast has been formed. Postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, filming will begin in the fall of 2020 in Canada. Ben Schnetzer, a young American actor, will star in the “Y. The Last Man” television series that will be released in 2021.

Sandman

The Sandman is a comic book series owned by Vertigo, a division of DC Comics. Not belonging to DC universe, this comic book was created by Neil Gaiman, renowned science fiction writer. The Sandman tells the story of Morpheus, who is the personification of the Dream.

Filmmakers and creators of television series tried to film “The Sandman”, which hit the status of a cult work. However, that all changed when Neil Gaiman, the author of the graphic novel, and the Netflix streaming service came into play. The script, written by David Goyer (“The Dark Knight”, “Constantine”, “Man of Steel”), was already finished and the studio is ready to start filming in the near future. Now, we are waiting for the cast to be announced.

Video Game Adaptations

Making movies and TV series based on video games is always a risky endeavor. Since any successful game has a huge audience of fans, it won’t be difficult to disappoint them. Film history remembers “Warcraft”, “Prince of Persia” and “Assassin’s Creed”, three films that failed. Now, TV producers have a chance to make interesting game adaptations – a lot of them are already in development.

Halo

In 2013, Showtime announced the start of work on a video-game-based series that is part of the Halo franchise universe. The series of games is a 3D shooter about a war between earthlings and warlike aliens.

Although the production of the TV series was constantly rescheduled, filming began in late 2019. The announced film crew is generating genuine interest, but the hottest news is that Steven Spielberg will be the executive producer of the new TV show. According to the latest information, the television series will premiere in 2021.

Myst

News broke last year that Village Roadshow, an Australian production company, had acquired the rights to film adaptation of the “Myst”, iconic series of PC games. The puzzle, familiar to many from childhood, will be available for viewing in the form of a film and a television series. While the Miller brothers (PC game creators) will become producers, the production team will be led by filmmakers known for titles such as “Thor: Ragnarok”, “X-Men: First Class”, “Black Sails” and “Fringe”.

Disco Elysium

Dj2 Entertainment has partnered with ZA/UM studio to work on TV series creation based on Disco Elysium, one of the most significant role-playing games of recent years. The fascinating game tells the story of the phantasmagoric adventures of an alcoholic detective who has lost his memory.

Since only the announcement of a likely film adaptation took place, still nothing is known about the production, the release date, and also the channel on which the series will be released.

Fallout

Not wanting to stand aside, Amazon enters into an agreement with Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the authors of “Westworld”, and Bethesda studio to create a television series based on the post-apocalyptic universe of “Fallout”. According to Lisa and Jonathan, they have long been fans of the game series and have spent countless nights playing them. The project is currently in the character development stage. However, we hope the new series does not turn out to be disappointing.

Last of Us

HBO also wants to try its hand at making a video game adaptation. Screenwriter Craig Mazin was hired to work on “Last of Us”. The TV show is based on the game of the same name, a Sony Playstation exclusive. Created in the post-apocalypse genre, this game shows crowds of zombies in which people infected with the cordyceps fungus turn. Neil Druckmann, one of the game series creators, is involved in the production of the dark TV show. The TV show will air on the HBO Max streaming service. The premiere date is still unknown.

Resident Evil

The adaptation of another zombie game was ordered by Netflix streaming service. Many film lovers remember the series of movies starring Mila Jovovich. After the sixth film, released in 2016, it was decided to restart the universe as a TV series. In early 2020, filming was announced, which was to begin in the spring. But when the coronavirus pandemic put the whole world on pause, work on the “Resident Evil” multi-part restart was put on hold. So, most likely the date of the TV show premiere will be named in 2022. However, we all hope to hear the latest news on the production.

Magic: The Gathering

This is another Netflix TV show, but it is not a video game adaptation. The streaming service has announced an animated series set in the universe of “Magic: The Gathering,” a card game. The Russo Brothers, avid gamers and directors of “Avengers: Endgame”, the highest-grossing film in the history of the film industry, have been hired to work on the production of a television show, which is currently in development.

We tried to tell you about the most interesting upcoming projects. Of course, not every show described above will make it to television screens for one reason or another. In addition, the filmmakers who worked on the production of films and television series that were frozen due to the coronavirus pandemic are interested in resuming filming of already planned projects first.

So, let the series which premieres are still in question, make you think about how you would make them yourself and what you would try to avoid in the production of TV shows.