Expansing Universe in a nutshel:
- A new platform from the acclaimed author James S.A. Corey, also known as Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.
- A platform that will produce TV show(s), games and books.
- An association with Amazon MGM, Breck Eisner and Naren Shankar.
- Will work on a TV adpation of The Captives’ War.
What is Expanding Universe ?
Oh boy, we have said countless times that James S.A. Corey has an innate sense for titles and punchlines, more so than numerous living science fiction authors. They prove it again by revealing Expanding Universe, which is essentially a concentrate both of zeugma and intelligence.
Expanding Universe is, from what we understand, a multimedia production company, winking at the Expanse and allowing James S.A. Corey to expand (see what they did?) their universes, their art, and their financial endeavours. Note that for an artist or writer even more so, expanding ways of income is essential and not the evil sigil of the rampant capitalism that sours the nice cream of our innocent and naïve world. No, diversifying income by means of more art is just the way to go, and a safety policy that allows the authors to keep doing art and not algorithm-orientated investment assets; yes, we look vaguely at you, Hollywood, and, yes again, I stare at you, Marvel Universe.
That venture did not come as a surprise to us because James S.A. Corey has always been an octopus-like entity; we could see that very easily with The Expanse.
- Books.
- Comic books.
- Tabletop roleplaying game.
- Video game.
- And maybe something else we forget.
That trend is also noticeable when considering the podcast Ty and that Guy, which, whilst being awesome, shows that there is more, much more to be made out of these minds.
As many mentioned already, the seeds of that were already planted before the writing of The Expanse, the plot having been thought to be used for a video game and an RPG.
This is great news because it means that The Captive’s War will have more angles to be approached with, and in the end the fans will be served a richer meal.
What can we expect from Expanding Universe?
On the 21st of November 2024, Expanding Universe had a press release explaining, without giving any details, what that new production platform will be doing. We can quote the press release here and comment it further, specifically the part by Breck Eisner.
“Expanding Universe is focused on developing sci-fi narratives with sweeping world-building and elevated storylines, geared toward multi-platform expressions in filmed entertainment, gaming, and publishing. The Captive’s War is a perfect launchpad for our model.”
Eisner is, among other things, recognised for having directed 14 episodes of The Expanse TV show, from season 2 throughout season 6. He indeed directed the last episode of the series: episode 6, season 6, “Babylon’s Ashes”.
So to unpack an already very clear statement:
- Gaming: Video games most likely.
- Filmed entertainment: The Captive’s War TV show most likely, but maybe not only.
- Publishing: This one is more complex. So RPGSs, board games, comic books. But will that new entity publish novels for James S.A. Corey? Most likely not for The Captive’s War series, but after that? If that is the case, and knowing a little bit about the publishing industry, this would be an exciting and groundbreaking experience!
The TV adaptation of The Captives War, in partnership with Amazon MGM will be the first item on that platform, and we cannot state how excited we are about it and also a bit concerned.
We cannot stress enough how much we want—no, should we say demand—to see an RPG or board game coming out of that. Get cracking, guys; Christmas is around the corner!
Is The Captive’s War show material?
Watching a live-action adaptation of The Captives’ War is tempting, but is the general idea of the series show material? We think it is, and we hope it will be adapted closely without an alternative ending, as we saw for The Expanse and other series coincidentally originally written in New Mexico.
The Captive’s War on screen presents a challenge. And a big one at that. Aliens. Tonnes of ‘em, of all shapes, colours, and natures—a real Benetton of deep space. In our opinion, and we are wondering if Ty Franck has not shared that opinion on “Ty and that Guy” (to be confirmed), the best aliens on screen are the ones we don’t get to see, or at least not entirely in the crude light of mundane activities. Yes, for the Carryx, enslaving entire species is mundane activity.
With the Carryx and the plethora of alien species shown on screen, there is a non-negligible possibility of looking grotesque. We are well aware that Expanding Universe will not shoot papier-mâché aliens found in a lot of used 1950’s Hollywood props, but aliens on screen are always a treacherous thing. All in all, the idea is a bit like time travel; you want to see it, you want to explore the nooks and crannies of it, but you also know that the possibility for a paradox is so high that it will most likely happen, jeopardising the credibility of the story/show/game.
The Captives’ War will be a tough cookie to shoot and to narrate.
However, one thing makes us optimistic: the ending of The Expanse TV show. Though not aligned with the books, the ending of the TV show was well put together, and it was so seamless it could have been a thing of its own. If that quality of writing is maintained and the special effects/photography don’t look like the ones of The Rings of Power, then The Captives’ War TV show will be a great adventure.
Note to whom it concerns: starting a new producing platform with Wix, we have our doubts, but yes, prove us wrong and snobbish 😉