SF Studios Preps English-Language Sci-Fi Series on Artificial Intelligence (EXCLUSIVE)

SF Studios, the Scandinavian company celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is developing an English-language series based on Max Tegmark’s 2017 New York Times bestseller “Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”

The science-fiction series will follow a group of young scientists working at a startup who discover the first sentient artificial intelligence and envision ways in which it could be used to create a better world, which leads to a clash of ideals and morals. The show is a fictionalized treatment of Tegmark’s exploration of the ramifications of AI, which was translated in multiple languages and published around the world.

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Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, the senior VP of international production, said the “series will be character-driven as well as boasts a dramatic dimension and a tone similar to ‘The Social Network’ and ‘Her.'”

The series will also explore ways in which AI can affect news, entertainment, justice, jobs and society through the journey of these young scientists, said Wikström Nicastro, whose production credits include “Borg/McEnroe” and “Easy Money.”

A high-profile writer will soon be announced by SF Studios. Tegmark will be creatively involved in the series. On top of his career as an author, Tegmark is also the director of the Future of Life Institute, which received $10 million from Elon Musk for a global AI research endeavor. Tegmark previously wrote “Our Mathematical Universe,” which was also well-received.

SF Studios has also launched production on its first English-language feature, “Horizon Line,” Mikael Marcimain’s survival thriller, starring Allison Williams and Alexander Dreymon. SF Studios has joined forces with STXfilms on the movie, which just started shooting in Mauritius.

Written by “10 Cloverfield Lane’s” Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken, “Horizon Line” is part of SF Studio’s ambition to produce high-profile English-language features and TV drama with top Scandinavian and U.S. or U.K. talent.

SF Studios’ slate of English-language projects includes the U.S. adaptation of Hannes Holm’s Oscar-nominated Swedish comedy “A Man Called Ove,” which Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s banner, Playtone, is co-producing. Hanks will also headline the movie. Another feature on the company’s roster is “I Am Victor,” a film based on Jo Nesbø’s forthcoming novel, which has been adapted by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The director is Baltasar Kormakur.

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