A mere two weeks after Syfy canceled its celebrated sci-fi series The Expanse, Jeff Bezos has confirmed that the series will continue with a new season on Amazon Prime, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Speaking at a panel for the show at the National Space Society in Los Angeles, the tech titan made the surprise announcement to a ballroom packed with fans. “Ten minutes ago … I just got word that The Expanse was saved,” he said as the room erupted in applause.
I'll just let him say it…#TheExpanse#RocinanteIsSafe#BreakingNews
Thank you @JeffBezos pic.twitter.com/wxHN31zgJs
— Cas Anvar (@Casanvar) May 26, 2018
“We couldn’t be more excited that The Expanse is going to continue on Amazon Prime!” said Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, co-founders of Alcon Entertainment. “We are fully aware that this wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the staggering outpouring of support from the most creative, hardest working sci-fi fans around the world. From reddit campaigns to airplanes, we say thank you. It worked!”
The Expanse is said to be one of the Amazon CEO’s favorite books, and Bezos was reportedly livid when the TV series went to Syfy. The move may have even ignited his directive that Amazon find “the next Game of Thrones.” Syfy’s decision to cancel the series reportedly stemmed from its extremely limited broadcast rights for the program.
Set hundreds of years in the future, The Expanse is based on the bestselling book series authored by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck under the collective pen name James S. A. Corey. The series chronicles the lead-up to war between various planets and assorted colonies vying for control of the solar system, with a small group of characters caught up in a vast conspiracy that threatens all of humanity. Oscar-nominated screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man) developed the series and serve as executive producers along with showrunner Naren Shankar (Almost Human, Grimm). The series stars Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dominique Tipper, Cas Anvar, and Wes Chatham.
If the deal is finalized, The Expanse would join an impressive lineup of upcoming series on Amazon. The streaming video platform already has a highly publicized Lord of the Rings series in development, as well as Jordan Peele’s Nazi-hunting series The Hunt lined up. It also has another sci-fi drama from Westworld creators Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan in development titled The Peripheral.
The Expanse currently airs Wednesdays on Syfy at 9 p.m. ET, with the finale of the third season expected to air in July.
Updated on May 26: Added a statement from Jeff Bezos confirming the show’s return.
