Sci-fi series War of the Worlds Renewed for Season 2

The hit sci-fi drama War of the Worlds has been renewed for a second season. That said, the show will be the first scripted series to resume production amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Based on the H.G. Wells novel, the War of the Worlds series surrounds the exciting concept of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life. Within days of the discovery of a new world by a group of astronomers, mankind is all but wiped out by a devastating attack and groups of humanity are left in a deserted world.

According to Deadline, production on season two will begin next week in Newport, Wales. There has also been set a very detailed list of protocols to be followed by the cast and crew. From simpler things like regular temperature tests and social distancing to giving colour-coded bands to all those on set (to identify areas that various members of the production can and cannot access).

Luckily for the cast and crew, the show is set in an eerie, deserted setting where social distancing is a requirement of the script.

“Fortunately, we are a show which is in a world where there aren’t that many people around. There are things that work for us creatively,”

Director Johnny Capps.

Learning about crisis

The show is also a lesson in dealing with a massive crisis and all the more close to the world we are inhabiting than the one the show was first conceived in.

  “War of the Worlds is all about humanity and what you do in an extreme crisis. That’s what I’ve found really interesting about the pandemic and the way people are behaving. Season two will touch even more nerves because of what we’ve been through as a country and as a world,”

The Director

The first season of the international series aired on EPIX in the United States. The cable channel has not announced when or even if they’ll be airing season two yet but, given that the show reportedly performed very well, a pick-up is expected.

The cast includes Gabriel Byrne, Elizabeth McGovern, Léa Drucker, Adel Bencherif, Emilie de Preissac, Natasha Little, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Ty Tennant, Bayo Gbadamosi, Stephen Campbell Moore, Stéphane Caillard, and Aaron Heffernan.