Shonda Rhimes Is Developing A Sci-Fi Show For Netflix, So Leave Your Scalpel At Home
The Netflix chapter of creative powerhouse Shonda Rhimes' career is officially kicking off. After dominating over at ABC with TV favorites like Grey's Anatomy and Scandal, the showrunner extraordinaire is heading into the exciting world of streaming after landing a multi-year deal. It was announced on Oct. 4 that Shonda Rhimes is developing Recursion for Netflix for her first major project at the service. The film is based on the upcoming book from author Blake Crouch and it sounds like quite the genre departure from the TGIT Rhimes classics fans have come to know and love.
According to Deadline's synopsis, "Recursion is part save-the-world sci-fi thriller, part epic romance, as well as an intricate police procedural. The book explores what happens when a brilliant female scientist invents a powerful technology that allows people not just to reactivate their most visceral memories but to reinvent them entirely. For some, it offers the chance to rewrite their entire lives. In the wrong hands, it will upend the world as we know it."
Crouch is the writer behind theWayward Pines trilogy and Dark Matter. His novel Recursion hasn't even been published yet — it's set to hit bookstores June 11, 2019. The movie adaptation is already appears to be in good hands with Shonda and Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) at the helm.
“Projects like this are why I came to Netflix. The opportunity to explore a multi-genre universe in innovative ways is extremely exciting. Matt and Blake both have the tremendous ability to build compelling characters and imaginative landscapes and I am thrilled to work alongside them," Rhimes said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I have been a fan of Shonda’s and Matt’s work going back years,” Crouch remarked. “To have these titans of television and film working on something of mine is an incredible honor, and Netflix is the pitch-perfect home for people who want to adapt film and TV in the most innovative way possible.”
Rhimes has proven to be a versatile writer and producer throughout her professional evolution. She penned the 2001 Britney Spears film Crossroads and 2004's The Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement. From then she went to create hospital drama Grey's Anatomy, which premiered back in 2005 and remains one of television's buzziest shows 13 years later. The hits kept coming thanks to further creations like Private Practice, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder.
In April of 2017, Rhimes revealed that she was ready to spread her visionary wings outside of ABC through a massive overall deal with Netflix. She explained in a statement following the news:
Ted [Sarandos, Netflix's Chief Content Officer] provides a clear, fearless space for creators at Netflix. He understood what I was looking for — the opportunity to build a vibrant new storytelling home for writers with the unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach provided by Netflix’s singular sense of innovation. The future of Shondaland at Netflix has limitless possibilities.
Of course, Shonda fans quickly began speculating about what those "possibilities" could be. It looks like they're starting to get some answers.
