YouTube Red Orders Sci-Fi Space Drama Origin

YouTube Red is bulking up their original programming slate. Shortly after announcing the rest of the cast for their upcoming Karate Kid prequel series Cobra Kai, the streamer ordered a 10-episode sci-fi series titled Origin. (via The Hollywood Reporter)

Origin follows a group of 10 strangers who are stranded on a spaceship traveling to a distant planet. The passengers have to work together to survive, but everything becomes more complicated when they learn that one of them is not who they thought. The show is created, written, and executive produced by Mika Watkins, a writer for Stan Lee's Lucky Man and Troy: Fall of a City. Watkins has also worked on the upcoming Amazon series Hanna.

YouTube global head of original content Susanne Daniels described the series as "mysterious and exciting," adding, "sci-fi and action adventure are huge on YouTube, and our audience will be intrigued by the unexpected plot twists and turns in this bold, studio-quality thriller." Added Andy Harries, the CEO of producer Left Blank Pictures, "Mika is an exceptional new voice and we are excited to bring her first major project to the screen with our friends at YouTube Red."

Left Blank, the production company behind The Crown, Outlander, and Amazon's upcoming Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, has Harries, Rob Bullock, and Suzanne Mackie on board to produce. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg will produce for Midnight Radio, while the show also has China International Television Corp. and Sony Pictures TV's international product division on board.

YouTube Red, which costs $10 per month, has a lot of upcoming exciting series, including Impulse, produced by Edge of Tomorrow's Doug Liman, and Lifeline, produced by Dwayne Johnson. Their other upcoming series include Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television, featuring the Veronica Mars star as a parody of himself, and Do You Want to See a Dead Body?, a comedy from Rob Huebel and Funny or Die.

Origin is set to debut on the streamer at some point in 2018.