It looks as if television has finally discovered the treasure that is American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. This year, two shows based on the visionary author’s works will premiere on television. While the concept of “Minority Report” has already been revealed to the world by Steven Spielberg in his 2002 hit film starring Tom Cruise, a crime drama on the Fox network hopes to explore the idea further in long format. Spielberg continues to serve as executive producer of this television venture, along with “Godzilla” (2014) director Max Borenstein, who is also penning the project.Set in the future, it follows the premise that 15 years after the shutdown of the ‘PreCrime’ division (by the shenanigans of Tom Cruise and company) in 2050, one of the three ‘Precognitives’ or Precogs continues to be haunted by visions of future crimes and decides to stop them before they happen with the aid of a police detective. It stars Stark Sands (“Inside Llewyn Davis”) as Dash, one of the ‘Precog’ twin brothers; Meagan Good (“Californication”) as police detective Lara Vega; Laura Regan (“Mad Men”) as Agatha, the ‘Precog’ older sister who was one of the central characters in the film; and Wilmer Valderrama (“That ’70s Show”) as police detective Will Blake.The idea for the film and television series has been adapted from a Philip K. Dick short story that was published in a science fiction magazine in 1956. Three mutant siblings have the ability to see crimes before they happen, and so they are plugged into a machine that taps their visions and enables a special police force to nab these potential criminals before they can act. The American writer, who published 44 novels and around 121 short stories in his lifetime, often dwelled on the themes of authoritarianism, altered states of consciousness and free will, as in this story. “Minority Report”, at least the film version, questions the existence of free will. However, the television series looks like it’s getting ready to brush under the carpet the moral of the (film’s) story, but let’s not preempt the judgment.The pilot episode was leaked earlier this month, and caused great controversy, but the show is set to premiere on September 21, 2015.The other series that is coming to television in November, and is based on a 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick is “The Man in the High Castle”. An Amazon Studios production, its pilot double-episode debuted at a special Comic Con event in January this year, and was later livestreamed for public viewing. The pilot was exceptionally well received by both critics and fans, and the project subsequently got the green light.“The Man in the High Castle” is an alternate history novel that won the 1963 Hugo Award, and draws inspiration from the influential Chinese classic “I Ching”. It re-imagines the year 1962 in a world where the Allies have lost the Second World War, and the Axis powers of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany rule over their pockets of the former U.S.A. The pilot episode remained close to the original story, and the show is in experienced hands under the helm of director Frank Spotnitz (“The X Files”) and executive producer Ridley Scott, who is no stranger to the work of Philip K. Dick having adapted his 1982 cult hit “Blade Runner” from the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”Starring Alexa Davalos (“Mob City”), Rufus Sewell (“John Adams”), Luke Kleintank (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Rupert Evans (“Hellboy”), the pilot episodes introduced the character of Juliana Crain who comes into possession of banned newsreels titled “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy” said to be created by a mysterious man in the high castle, and are required by the Resistance to be delivered to another city. The reality that Juliana and other characters in the story inhabit is dictated by fear and oppression under the totalitarian rule of Fascist and Imperialistic forces. The U.S. comprises of three sections; the Greater Nazi Reich on the East Coast, the Japanese controlling the West Coast and a neutral zone in the middle. There are firing squads and execution chambers, citizens wear swastika armbands, Jewish people are prosecuted, Nazi and Japanese insignia in public places, some art is contraband, and members of the Resistance operate under the radar. Also, drinking tea and learning martial arts are common activities (on brighter days).As is apparent in the trailer, the show promises a high production value as it requires a convincing visual recreation of an alternate world, with contextually correct fashion, hairstyles, architecture, lifestyle and the type of automobiles and technology that would seep into society if Japan or Germany were in power.Some of the other works by Philip K. Dick that have been adapted for screen are “Total Recall”, “A Scanner Darkly” and “The Adjustment Bureau”. His 1969 dystopian novel “Ubik”, which was hailed by Time Magazine as one of the 100 greatest English language novels, was at one point picked up by director Michel Gondry for a possible film adaptation.The ten-episode first season of “The Man in the High Castle” premieres on November 20, 2015, on Amazon’s Prime Instant Video. Follow @ARTINFOIndia
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