Nat Geo has released the synopsis for a new series based on Richard Preston’s 1994 bestseller: The Hot Zone. The series (of the same name) will be an adaptation of the novel, which tells the true story of the first recorded case of the Ebola virus – a hot topic for fans of true series and scientific thrillers.
The book was originally optioned for a feature-length film adaptation back in the ’90s when it was first published, but this project never came to fruition. Then, in the fall of 2014, the decision to turn it into a series was announced, although it has been languishing in development since then. Now, The Hot Zone is back on the slate with an adaptation in the works from Nat Geo.
The network has now released the synopsis for the series, along with a list of several of the people involved behind the scenes (although no casting news has been released as of yet):
From Lynda Obst Productions, Fox 21 Television Studios, Scott Free Productions, Writers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson and Jeff Vintar.
Based on the eponymous international bestseller by Richard Preston, The Hot Zone recounts the terrifying true story of the origins of the Ebola virus, a highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest and its first arrival on U.S. soil. In 1989, when this killer suddenly appears in chimpanzees in a scientific lab in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. — a stone’s throw away from the White House — there is no known cure. A heroic U.S. Army veterinarian, working with a secret military SWAT team, puts herself in mortal peril when she tries to head off the outbreak before it spreads to the human population. The Hot Zone is a dramatic, hair-raising account of a rare and lethal virus and its impact on the human race.
The team behind the series have some impressive credits to their name, especially when it comes to sci-fi series. Souders and Peterson are known for their work on Under The Dome, while Vintar wrote I, Robot. In addition, the series is a perfect fit for the network, which focuses on real-life stories of scientific discovery and adventure.
Of course, this is also bound to be a somewhat controversial series, as the book itself received a certain amount of criticism for inaccuracies and promoting some of the myths that still surround the disease today. This is also a very emotionally loaded subject, as any outbreak of a deadly disease is bound to be.
However, Nat Geo has a capable team behind the project, and is known for creating quality programming in this genre, so this looks like it has the potential to be a worthwhile new show – especially for fans of the book who have been waiting over twenty years to see it adapted!
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Hot Zone does not have a release date yet.
