A new Philip K. Dick adaptation is in the works on Netflix. The upcoming take on Philip K. Dick’s works is particularly interesting because it adapts one of the author’s most underrated stories. As exciting as the upcoming adaptation may seem, though, it seems to be repeating the same mistake as an alternate history show based on one of the most acclaimed novels written by the author.
Considering how influential Philip K. Dick’s work has been in the sci-fi genre, it should not be surprising that his works have been translated for the screen on several occasions. Some of the greatest filmmakers, like Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, have also drawn from his stories in movies like Blade Runner and Minority Report.
Compared to big-screen Philip K. Dick adaptations, there have been fewer small screen takes of his work. However, the one that left its mark was 2015’s The Man in the High Castle. The show earned positive reviews from critics and even managed to last for four seasons. However, it was slightly held back from its true potential because of one mistake that plagues nearly all Philip K. Dick adaptations.
Netflix’s upcoming take on Philip K. Dick‘s The World Jones Made, titled The Future is Ours, seems to be repeating the same mistake as The Man in the High Castle.
Netflix Philip K. Dick Adaptation Is Repeating The Man In The High Castle’s Mistake
Philip K. Dick’s stories often defy storytelling conventions and brilliantly stretch a reader’s suspension of disbelief. They are often ridden with weird and bizarre developments and devices that help them stand out among the vast array of formulaic sci-fi stories that are out there. The Man in the High Castle‘s TV adaptation, like most on-screen takes on the author’s works, unfortunately refused to embrace its source material’s uniqueness.
The show managed to land in critics’ good books, but unlike the original novel, it primarily unfolded the realistic and gritty “What if?” story of a Nazi-occupied America. Put simply, it rarely rose above the conventions of most alternate history thrillers. Its original novel, in contrast, raises many a question about the nature of reality itself.
From the looks of it, Netflix’s upcoming take on Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made is repeating the same mistake. Titled The Future Is Ours, the show will reportedly remove the alien plot from the original story. In The World Jones Made, an alien species, called “Drifters,” plays a crucial role in driving its themes surrounding humanity’s xenophobia and relationship with uncertainty.
The show will also unfold in the wake of an ecological disaster instead of the Cold War-era backdrop that shaped the novel’s political tension and paranoia. By replacing so many major aspects from the original story, it looks like Netflix’s The Future is Ours is trying to be more accessible for the masses.
While it is understandable why shows like The Man in the High Castle do this, it is hard not to notice how they often lose the very thing that made their source material unique. It can also be argued that they change the source material to a point where they do not even qualify as Philip K. Dick adaptations.
Although it may be a little too soon to judge the upcoming Netflix adaptation, its book changes raise a lot of skepticism. Hopefully, it will not disappoint.
Man In The High Castle Proves Netflix’s The Future Is Ours Might Still Be Worth Watching
Even if the weird sci-fi beats from the original novel are eradicated, Netflix’s take on The World Jones Made could still potentially work. The show is being developed by the Latin American production team behind Netflix’s The Eternaut and One Hundred Years of Solitude, which alone is a good sign.
Netflix’s VP of content for Latin America, Francisco Ramos, has also assured (via Variety), that the Philip K. Dick series is one of the “most ambitious and complex productions, at the same level of scale and complexity as One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Eternaut.“
Considering the effort that is going behind the upcoming Philip K. Dick adaptation on Netflix, the sci-fi series might turn out to be a lot better than expected. And if all goes well, it might even become as successful as The Man in the High Castle.