William Shatner, the man who never rests, will be producing, along with Pure Imagination Studios, an adult animated series based off of Shatner’s ‘TekWar’ novels. The mixed reality, science fiction universe, will be written by show runner Matt Michnovetz who wrote for ’24’ and ‘Star Wars: the Clone Wars’. The animated series will also be a step towards developing a real time multiverse that will involve audience participation via mobile, tablet, and wearable devices, allowing the audience to make decisions on a particular episodes outcome. It will be exciting to witness what the ultimate outcome this kind of involvement will have on episodic television, as we have been only able to influence that kind of audience participation in video games.
‘TekWar’ Will Bring Audience Participation to a Whole New Level
Shatner’s ‘TekWar’ novel first debuted in 1989 and subsequently had 8 sequels follow that initial release. There was also a TekWar comic book adaptation in 1992, a video game, and a series of TV movies and a TV series which both starred Shatner. ‘TekWar’ is based in the year 2043 and follows a former Los Angeles detective who has been framed for dealing an illegal mind altering drug in the form of a bio digital microchip. The bio digital microchip has the potential to become a deadly virus and ultimately a threat to all of humanity. According to an exclusive article from Deadline by Denise Petsky, John P. Roberts, chief content officer for Pure Imagination Studios can’t wait to work with the legend that is William Shatner and bring his ‘TekWar’ universe to life in this new animated medium.
“We are very excited to work with the legendary William Shatner to reimagine the world of TekWar at a post-pandemic time, ‘TekWar’ was truly ahead of its time envisioning a future filled with AI and the world of simulated reality. It’s becoming our reality now, and we’re excited to build a storyverse around it.”
John Wexler, Pure Imagination Studios’ chief executive of fun, also stated, in that same article, that bringing William Shatner’s ‘TekWar’ to multiple media platforms, in ways an audience has never seen, is something that’s never been done before and has a lot of potential.
“We want to do something that hasn’t been done before. Who better to do that with than one of the greatest legends in the sci-fi universe? The world and story of TekWar transcends traditional linear media and has the potential to be experienced on multiple entertainment platforms, some that exist today and some we’ll have to invent, and we can’t wait to get started.”
Credit – Atlantis Films, CTV Television network
William Shatner Refuses to Submit to His Age
I, for one, am extremely excited about this new animated ‘TekWar’ series. I have read some of the novels, and watched some of the TV show, and it’s really exciting to see ‘TekWar’ brought to the 21st century. ‘TekWar’ is suited for the technology we have at our disposal to really match what we have imagined in those novels. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for William Shatner. With the announcement of his departure into space Tuesday, October 12th aboard Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard, and the announcement of the animated series ‘TekWar’, William Shatner refuses to submit to his age and that is an example worth following.
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