Last March, Netflix teamed up with Fox Searchlight to produce a sci-fi pilot called 'Parallels'. The show was intended to be about a building that could transport itself to a random parallel universe every 36 hours, and would feature a group of young people caught up in trying to get back to their own world. The pilot starred Mark Hapka, Jessica Rothe, Eric Jungmann and Constance Wu. It was released onto Netflix later that year and was originally thought to have no continuation despite a cliffhanger ending.
A show worth continuing
Reports have surfaced that author Neil Gaiman is working on a revival of the pilot for a full series, which will be called 'The Building'.
He will serve as executive producer, while Albert Kim and Chris Leone will co-write and direct. It is currently unknown whether any of the original cast will return to play their respective characters, or whether the story will start anew or be a continuation.
Parallel universes have been explored in Television before. The concept provided the basis for an important subplot in Fox's 'Fringe', which aired from 2008 to 2013, and some episodes of 'The Twilight Zone' back in the 1960s. The most memorable use of the multiverse theory comes in the form of a show called 'Sliders', which between 1995 and 2000.
A long line of Netflix Originals
With the original pilot being broadcast on Netflix, it is expected that 'The Building' will also air on there.
Netflix have been known in recent years to produce and fund original content. It first entered the industry in 2013 with 'House of Cards', based on the original BBC television series of the same name and starring Kevin Spacey in the lead role. They later gained popularity for producing shows such as 'Orange is the New Black' and 'BoJack Horseman'.
Recently, they have found a footing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with hit shows 'Daredevil' and 'Jessica Jones'.
There is no date yet announced for when 'The Building' will air, though more details should drop later in the year.
