‘War of the Worlds’ Getting New (Old) Miniseries Adaptation on BBC

However unlikely that we’ll tire of Tom Cruise running, the most recent major War of the Worlds adaptation borrowed pretty liberally from H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel. The BBC now aims to fix that, plotting a new 2018 miniseries true to the original Victorian setting.

BBC drama controller Piers Wenger announced as much in a recent London presentation, along with new adaptations for Little Women, a new Netflix co-production and many more (h/t The Hollywood Reporter). The new War of the Worlds will take the form of a three-hour miniseries, shooting in early 2018 under Poldark studio Mammoth Screen, and with Doctor Who alum Peter Harness writing the script.

The original 1898 tale followed the account of an Englishman and his younger brother as the aliens invade, and been adapted to everything from radio, to movies and countless other formats, the most recent of which came in 2005 with Cruise and Steven Spielberg. That version moved the setting to New Jersey and Boston, and starred the likes of Justin Chatwin, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins and more.

We’ll find out more as The BBC develops its War of the Worlds miniseries, so stay tuned.