TV rights to Sawyer's novel Flashforward sold to ABC

Left to right: David S. Goyer, Robert J. Sawyer, Brannon Braga (click on photo for larger version; photo credit: Carolyn Clink)

The Hollywood Reporter published an article at 10:00 p.m. Pacific time on Thursday, September 18, 2008, saying we were close to selling my novel Flashforward and a pilot script based on it written by Brannon Braga and David S. Goyer to ABC. Reuters picked up the story, and now it's everywhere, including SciFi Wire. [See end of the comments section of this blog entry for the original Hollywoode Reporter article that broke the story.]

Actually, the deal has closed, and it had even before the Hollywood Reporter piece went online. It closed at 5:55 p.m. Pacific time that day, after many days of marathon negotiations between ABC and David's agents at CAA, Brannon's agents at Endeavor, and my agents at Created By. We're going ahead. I've read David and Brannon's pilot script, and it is magnificent. Details:

TV rights to Robert J. Sawyer's science-fiction novel Flashforward have sold to ABC in a handsome deal negotiated by Vince Gerardis of Created By.

David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) and Brannon Braga (Star Trek Voyager, 24) have scripted the pilot episode, which is now in pre-production. David Goyer will direct the pilot, and Jessika Borsiczky Goyer and Brannon Braga are among the Executive Producers.

Sawyer will serve as consultant on the pilot, and on each episode of any subsequent series; he will also write a first-season episode.

Flashforward tells the story of a mysterious event that causes everyone on Earth to get a brief glimpse of their future lives.

The novel, first published in 1999 by Tor Books, New York, and continuously in print since, won Canada's Aurora Award for Best Novel of the Year as well as Spain's Premio UPC de Ciencia Ficción, the world's largest cash prize for SF writing.

An unabridged audio version is available through Audible.com, and translated editions are available in German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.

CNN called the novel "thoroughly entertaining," and in its starred review, denoting a book of exceptional merit, Publishers Weekly said the book is "a creative, soul-searching exploration of fate, free will, and the nature of the universe," adding that, "This first-rate, philosophical journey, a terrific example of idea-driven SF, should have wide appeal."

ABC is the most-watched television network in the United States. Of the potential series, The Hollywood Reporter says, "ABC might finally have launched a strong companion to Lost with Flashforward."

(Note: because Tor's art department split the title into two words on the book's cover, below, the book is sometimes referred to as Flash Forward instead of Flashforward.)

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site