Back in June, Netflix ordered the Lost in Space to series and the casting continues. We learned earlier this month that Taylor Russell will be taking on the role of Judy Robinson and that Toby Stephens, who has been a lead actor in Black Sails that’s ending, will take on the role of the dad, astrophysicist John Robinson, the expedition commander. Additionally, Maxwell Jenkins will play Will, the youngest Robinson child. Jenkins was in the Netflix series Sense8 and has had other appearances as well.
Now another piece of the puzzle has arrived as Molly Parker has joined to play the role of Maureen Robinson, which was originally played by June Lockhart. The character is described as “a fearless and brilliant aerospace engineer who makes the decision to bring her family to space for a chance at a new life on a better world.” Parker has a lot going on as she just finished a run in House of Cards and is set for Goliath with Amazon. She also has several films on tap that she has varied levels of participation in.
The show has a ten episode order being put in for a 2018 debut as it gives us a new incarnation of the Robinson family stranded in space.
Cindy Holland, Netflix Vice President of Original Content, commented on the new project back in June by saying, “The original series so deftly captured both drama and comedy, and that made it very appealing to a broad audience. The current creative team’s reimagining of the series for Netflix is sure to appeal to both fans who fondly remember the original and to create a new generation of enthusiasts around the world.”
The project has writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless on board and are producing with Synthesis Entertainment among others. Neil Marshall is is on board as well and is expect to direct. Marshall has kicked off a number of TV shows the last few years and been involved with several as director, from the big Blackwater episode of Game of Thrones to episodes of Black Sails and Constantine.
According to the report at Deadline back in November 2015, “The new Lost In Space is described as an epic but grounded science fiction saga focusing on a young explorer family from earth lost in an alien universe and the challenges they face in staying together against seemingly insurmountable odds.” Which means similar to what we’ve had before but with modern production and scripting sensibilities about it.
There have been several attempts to bring it to TV over the years after the failure of the late 90′s feature film, including a pilot that was written by Doug Petrie and had John Woo directing it. The 1998 film came from New Line Cinema and did $136 million on a $80 million budget, which killed its chances. This past September, the series marked its fiftieth anniversary very quietly compared to a lot of other properties from this age.