Philip K. Dick’s ‘The Variable Man’ Adaptation in the Works from “Humans” Writers

Philip K. Dick‘s ever-prescient science fiction writing have been adapted into such works as Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and “The Man in the High Castle.”

The Variable Man will soon join that list, as Deadline reports that Motive Pictures is developing a grounded sci-fi series based on the novella.

Motive’s Simon Maxwell (“The Woman in the Wall,” “Deep State,”) is producing with Electric Shepherd, the banner that stewards Dick adaptations and is run by his daughter, Isa Dick Hackett.

The book is set in a distant future where humanity is locked in a protracted conflict with the reptilian alien species known as the Sirians. To gain an edge in the war, the military employs a team of scientists to develop a device capable of predicting future events with precision.

However, when a “variable man” named Thomas Cole accidentally arrives from the past, he disrupts the scientists’ plans. Cole’s presence introduces an element of unpredictability that the rigidly deterministic scientists struggle to reconcile with their deterministic worldview.

As Cole becomes embroiled in the war effort and forms relationships with the people he meets, he challenges the notion of predestination and the idea that the future is set in stone.

“Humans” writers Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent are penning the script for a UK broadcaster.

Maxwell tells Deadline it’s ripe for international co-financing. “When you’ve got Sam and John doing what they did so brilliantly with ‘Humans’ and exploring the modern world through a genre lens, it is something that can absolutely attract broadcasters in the U.S.”

Written and sold before Dick had an agent, The Variable Man was first published in 1953. It’s now in the public domain.

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