Five years have passed since we last saw multiple Tatiana Maslanys on the hit show Orphan Black, and now a new series set in that world just got a big shot of adrenaline. Anna Fishko, best known for writing on Fear the Walking Dead and Colony, has reportedly been hired to write and produce a new Orphan Black show that’ll air on AMC.
Yes, AMC, not BBC America, is working on a new Orphan Black show. The show might be news to you at this very moment because it’s been about three years since we first heard about it, and who can remember anything from that long ago? So the fact there’s movement at all is kind of surprising, but also fitting. What’s Orphan Black if not surprising?
As previously reported, this show isn’t a reboot or sequel to the hit show that ran from 2013-2017. Rather it’s “a new story set in the same world,” according to Variety, which broke the news about Fishko and the show itself back in 2019. The trade also refers to this new iteration as a “potential” new show and reveals that a writers’ room is just now getting to work on it. Both of which make it seem like, after three years, AMC is fine to get a pilot out there, but not quite ready to order this direct to series, despite the brand name.
Of course, the concept of Orphan Black — about a woman who discovers she’s one of many clones wrapped up in an elaborate, complex conspiracy — lends itself to many other approaches. Fishko’s angle remains a mystery, but one would guess that it was her idea which landed her the job and reinvigorated the show in the first place.
As for the original Orphan Black’s breakout star, Tatiana Maslany, she’ll next be seen in another rather famous sci-fi universe: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She’s playing the title role Disney+ series She-Hulk, which is likely to debut later this year.