A Waterworld TV Show Is Officially On Its Way
Although it's become synonymous with overblown budgets and underperformance in the years since its release, many people have a real fondness for Kevin Costner's post-apocalyptic epic "Waterworld." The stunt show based on the film has been running at Universal Studios Hollywood since 1995, and has expanded to Japan, Singapore, and Beijing. Fans have also reevaluated the film, even giving "Waterworld" its own Snyder Cut you never knew existed.
The existence of the Ulysses Cut proves that "Waterworld" left a lot of story on the table. That's what producer John Davis is counting on with his latest venture. Per Collider, Davis is producing a "Waterworld" TV series with Dan Trachtenberg ("10 Cloverfield Lane") attached to direct. "We're going to do the streaming version of that movie," Davis said, "the continuation of that movie."
"Waterworld" starred Kevin Costner as The Mariner — a gilled scavenger roaming an inundated world after the melting of the polar ice caps. As a result, all human civilization has moved to water. The Mariner meets Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and her young charge Enola (Tina Majorino). Enola has a map tattooed on her back to Dryland, the mythical last island on the globe.
The Waterworld series takes place after the movie
Plot details about the "Waterworld" TV series are scarce, but Davis told Collider that it would take place 20 years after the events of the original film and follow the same characters. At the end of the movie, The Mariner, Helen, and Enola do find Dryland, implied to be the top of Mount Everest.
Presumably 20 years later, more people have flocked to Dryland. The Mariner, being particularly suited to aquatic living, may not be among them. As we saw in the film, life on "Waterworld" is primarily a fight for scarce resources. The folks with access to Dryland would be sitting pretty, but also in dire need of defense as news spread of their discovery.
"We're not 100% sure on the approach to the show. But definitely, we're in the building stages right now," Davis' producing partner John Fox said. Presumably that includes devising some new Big Bads for "Waterworld." Even though Deacon and the Smokers exploded (and are therefore probably no longer an issue), there could be any number of roving pirate gangs who would love to take ownership of Dryland. We'll just have to wait and see.