HAL Help Us: Ridley Scott Producing '2001' Sequel '3001: The Final Odyssey' As Syfy Miniseries

2001 3001 Ridley ScottWhile I personally enjoyed "Prometheus," I can still recognize that it messed with "Alien" in ways that makes the more visceral reactions of longtime fans of the former understandable. So tinkering with a horror movie in space may be one thing, but toying with one of the great science fiction masterpieces of all time is quite another. But Ridley Scott is going for it.

THR reports that Scott will produce the miniseries "3001: The Final Odyssey," based on Arthur C. Clarke‘s novel, for Syfy. So in other words, this is a sequel to "2001: A Space Odyssey" (well, technically it follows "2010," but still). And in case you’re wondering, this project has the full backing of the author’s estate as well as that of Kubrick’s.

Tasked with writing the script will be Stuart Beattie, who to his credit has Michael Mann‘s "Colatteral" on his CV. But mostly, Beattie’s fimography is cluttered with stuff like "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," and "I, Frankenstein." Where is HAL 9000 when you need him? As for the story, it will kick of with Frank Poole’s frozen body found in space. Here’s the book synopsis: 

In this fourth and final book in a 30-year publishing odyssey (following 2001, 2010, and 2061), 2001 astronaut Frank Poole, presumed dead and adrift in deep space near Jupiter, is recovered alive in the year 3001. Intent on saving humanity, he returns to Jupiter’s satellite, Europa, to contact partner Dave Bowman, whose mind has become absorbed by a third monolith.

No word yet on directors or casting, but the ‘2001’ saga will end in one way or another. Let’s just hope it’s more Kubrick than Scott.