This time Netflix has picked up script from an unpublished novel for its upcoming venture ‘The Upper World’ written by physicist-turned-author Femi Fadugba. The novel of the same name is the first in the planned series of novels to come, that will be published Penguin UK and HarperCollins US in mid-2021 and early 2022 respectively.
The Upper World is a science fiction story that includes everyone’s favourite theme these days – ‘time travel’, but with a twist of physics. It is a contemporary story set in Peckham, London that follows a 16-year-old Esso, played by Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Queen & Slim, Black Panther). Kaluuya will also be producing the film alongside Screen Arcade’s Eric Newman (Bright, Project Power) and Bryan Unkeless.
According to the official synopsis, “In The Upper World, Esso finds himself caught in the middle of a deadly feud and on the verge of expulsion when he realizes he has an unexpected gift: access to a world where he can see glimpses of the past and the future. A generation away, Rhia is walking to football practice in 2035, unaware that the mysterious stranger she’s about to meet desperately needs her help to avert a bullet fired 15 years ago.”
Recently, Tendo Nagenda, Vice President, Netflix Films had said in a media interaction that Netflix wants to create its own mass-appeal adventure movie franchise akin to a Star Wars or Harry Potter-type series with possible sequels. Moreover it shouldn’t be based on a comic, or a known story and rather be an original one with huge potential. Well, if we look at it, ‘The Upper World’ seems to tick all the boxes, with more novels in the series yet to come. So has Netflix found what it was looking for?
The author Femi Fadugba, who will also executive produce the film, aimed to write a story that was equally interesting for ‘the nerds, the hustlers, the jocks (and the rest of us in between).’ In the film, he explains Esso’s power with the help of physics for both the audience and Esso himself to uncover some new concepts. Any further details regarding ‘The Upper World’ is still under wraps. Until then, what do you think, will this new venture mark the beginning of the long sought-after dream adventure franchise series from Netflix?
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