Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

In addition to Stephen Volk’s three-part version of a Phil Rickman Merrily Watkins story, ITV Encore has commissioned a new take on Mary Shelley’s classic horror tale, Frankenstein to feature Game of Thrones and Legends star Sean Bean.

Described as “a thrilling and terrifying re-imagining of the Frankenstein myth as a six-part period crime drama”, and set in Regency London in 1827, The Frankenstein Chronicles has been created by Emmy nominated director and writer Benjamin Ross and writer Barry Langford.

According to ITV, “Incorporating elements from the investigative and horror genres with an extraordinary hero at its centre, Inspector John Marlott, played by multi-awarding winning leading actor Sean Bean will be taken on a terrifying journey in pursuit of a chilling and diabolical foe.

“In the drama’s opening sequences, the Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, following a successful operation by Thames River Police to apprehend a gang of opium smugglers, recruits Marlott.

“As he stands on the water’s edge contemplating the arrest of the smugglers, Marlott makes a shocking discovery. The body of a dead child is washed up on the shore and on further examination of the corpse he is horrified to discover it’s not actually a child but rather a crude assembly of body parts arranged in a grotesque parody of a human form. The mutilated child-like body leaves an indelible impression on Marlott and he finds himself unable to shake off the memory of what has happened that fateful night.

“With a formidable reputation as an investigator, he is known as a man who ‘doesn’t know the meaning of fear,’ so it comes as no surprise when coldly efficient Peel, summons him insisting the ‘details of your investigation must remain confidential.’ And after what he’s witnessed Marlott accepts the challenge to track the perpetrator of this heinous crime.

“We follow him as he pursues the crazed killer behind the mutilated body. As he investigates, Marlott discovers that what he’s dealing with is more horrific than he could possibly have imagined.”

“Marlott’s investigation takes him into the dark corners of Regency London,” Benjamin Ross, who will direct the drama, noted. “He discovers an underworld of prostitution, drug smuggling, bodysnatching, and murder for profit. The rational evidence points first one-way and then another as he contemplates a frightening alternate scenario,” added Benjamin.

Filming begins in Northern Ireland in January 2015. No further casting details have yet been announced.

Frankenstein has been a popular subject for adaptation in recent times: Big Finish has produced an audio version which hews closer to Shelley’s story, while a metal opera version played to packed houses in Halloween week in London, and various new films have been announced. That’s in addition to the incorporation of the story into Penny Dreadful.