A new TV show based on Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is headed to Hulu. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy began as a BBC comedy sci-fi radio series. However, fans are most familiar with the series of novels penned by Adams, and then later by Eoin Colfer after Adams’ death. The series has been adapted for a wide range of media, including a 1981 TV series and a 1984 video game.
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the last surviving human escapes Earth after an alien race blows it up. He then travels the galaxy, and as a result, has a series of hilarious adventures. The series got a movie adaptation in 2005. A big-budget affair, the film starred Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel, while also featuring the voices of Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman. The movie covered events from the first book, but because it wasn’t a critical success, no sequels ever followed. A live radio adaptation aired on the BBC in 2014, but everything has been silent in The Hitchhiker’s Guide world since.
However, that will soon change. Deadline reports that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is heading to Hulu. The streaming subscription service, which is now owned by Disney, is developing an adaptation of the novels. Carlton Cuse (Lost) will serve as the series’ showrunner with Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman) as the feature writer. Cuse is also heading up the Netflix production of Locke & Key, based on the graphic novels by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez.
Now that Hulu falls under the Disney umbrella, it’s likely the streaming subscription service will get more access to big-budget television productions. Hulu recently exclusively aired Veronica Mars season 4. It will also also soon have exclusive rights to The Orville, which will move from Fox (also now owned by Disney) to Hulu. Although Disney is launching its own streaming subscription service soon, the plan seems to be keeping the more adult-oriented content on Hulu.
Hulu has not yet revealed when The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy might air on the service, but there is some concern on the U.K. story getting Americanized. The beauty of the novels is that they are very British, with a dry sense of humor that many believe Americans lack. Many shows from the U.K. that get Americanized often end up losing something in the process, so one can only hope that this isn’t the case with this particular adaptation. For now, though, remember: don’t panic!
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Source: Deadline
