A “Mass Effect” TV series is officially in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.
Daniel Casey is set to write and executive produce the adaptation. Karim Zreik will executive produce under his Cedar Tree Productions banner, with Ari Arad and EA’s Michael Gamble also executive producing. Cedar Tree is currently under an overall deal at Amazon MGM Studios.
Exact plot details are being kept under wraps.
It was previously reported in 2021 that Amazon was in negotiations to develop a “Mass Effect” TV series, but there have been no updates on the project until now. There had also been various attempts to develop a feature film based on the games but the project never materialized.
The first “Mass Effect” game launched to rave reviews in 2007. Since then, there have been three more games in the main series, with “Mass Effect: Andromeda” debuting in 2017. There have also been multiple mobile games in the franchise, as well as an animated film, novels, comic books, and other media.
The story of the first three “Mass Effect” games revolves around Commander Shepard, a human soldier in the 22nd century trying to save humanity from a race of aliens known as the Reapers. “Andromeda” moved the games much further into the future with a new protagonist, with a fifth game also in the works. The franchise is developed by BioWare and are now published by EA.
Casey most recently worked on the screenplay for “F9: The Fast Saga.” He is also known for his work on films like the sci-fi drama “Kin” and did rewrites on “10 Cloverfield Lane.” He is repped by CAA, Writ Large, and Hansen Jacobson.
Zreik was previously an executive at the now defunct Marvel Television unit under Jeph Loeb. During his time with Marvel, he served as an executive producer on hit shows like “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “The Punisher,” and “Legion” among several others. Zreik is repped by Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.
Arad has previously produced adaptations of the games “Borderlands,” “Uncharted,” and “Ghost in the Shell.” He has also served as an executive producer on “Iron Man,” “Ghost Rider,” and the 2006 “Blade” TV series.
