Hulu will be airing a new episodic adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The book was previously adapted to film in 2005. Here’s what we know:
What’s it about? What’s the plot?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a comedic story about a guy, Arthur Dent, who finds out one morning that planet earth is about to be bulldozed to make way for an intergalactic highway. Lucky for him, his friend Ford Prefect is actually a planetary traveler who’s doing research for a new edition of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” and he whisks Arthur off into a spaceship as they hitchhike across the galaxy.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was released in March 1978 (and as a sidenote, is one of my favorite books of all time). It’s an iconic novel that has sold over 14 million copies to date.
What format will it be? Will the Hitchhiker’s Guide adaptation be a Movie or a Series?
It’s planned as an TV series.
Who’s behind it?
Carlton Cuse and Jason Fuchs, both fans of the book, will be writing, executive produce and showrunning the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. Cuse is a well-respected producer, having previously written part of and produced Lost (2004-2010). He also created the Jack Ryan (2018) series for Amazon. Fuchs has been involved in big-ticket films like Wonder Woman (2017) and Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012).
Disney owns the rights to Hitchhiker’s Guide, but the show is in development at Hulu and being produced by ABC Signature and Cuses’s Genre Arts. Genre Arts has an overall production deal with ABC Signature, a division of ABC Studios.
The initial film version of Hitchhiker’s Guide, released in 2005, had a tough time making it on to screen. Douglas Adams even moved to California in 1999 to try to make it happen, but he passed away in 2001, years before the project ever truly got off the ground at Disney. Here’s to hoping that the Hulu adaptation goes more smoothly!
From 2005’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Adaptation
What’s the status of the Hitchhiker’s Guide adaptation?
The adaptation is in development at Hulu, with showrunners and writers Cuse and Fuchs attached to the project.
Who’s in the cast?
No casting details have been released yet.
When will it be released?
Currently unknown.
Is there a trailer or teaser available?
Not yet! Stay tuned.
Hitchhiker’s Guide Movie / Series Development Timeline
March 8, 1978 The 6-part Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show begins airing on BBC Radio 4.
October 12, 1979 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (novel) is released.
1982 Columbia buys the rights to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (Douglas Adams later buys back the rights around 1992-ish.)
Late 1997 Disney acquires the rights to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
April 14, 1999 Douglas Adams pens a frustrated letter to Disney after little progress is made on adapting Hitchhiker’s Guide to film, despite scripts and script rewrites being passed around. In 1999, Douglas Adams moves to California in hopes of making a film version of his book happen, but the Disney executive who initially brokered the Disney deal leaves the company in 2000, and the project fizzles.
April 28, 2005 The movie adaptation (and first screen adaptation) of Hitchhiker’s Guide is finally released for which Douglas Adams co-wrote the screenplay, though sadly not before Adams passed away in 2001.
July 24, 2019 Hulu orders a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series adaptation.
