EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of the recent historic UFO Congressional hearing, Legendary Television has acquired the rights to A.J. Hartley and Tom DeLonge‘s Sekret Machines sci-fi thriller novels for television series development. Dan Farah (Ready Player One, The Shannara Chronicles), who brought the project to Legendary, and founding Blink 182 member-turned-UFO researcher DeLonge, will executive produce the adaptation of the the popular books, which include Sekret Machines: Chasing Shadows and its sequel Sekret Machines: A Fire Within.
Sekret Machines is a gripping thriller that tells the story of a U.S. Air Force pilot, a British heiress, a New York journalist, and a former WWII prisoner of war, whose lives intersect as they each discover dangerous information about a global cover-up of advanced UFO technology used to create unstoppable next generation fighter aircrafts, and 80-years of secret history, all of which has profound implications for humanity. The truth they uncover propels each of them into a labyrinth of powerful forces competing to control the otherworldly technology at all costs.
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The novels, based on actual events, were written with guidance from former U.S. government officials who have held senior-level positions within the Department of Defense, including intelligence officers, physicists, aerospace engineers, and four-star generals, in order to keep the truth on course while revealing fascinating secrets surrounding the true, well-documented events of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon.
Giving the project timeliness, Pentagon officials last month testified and showed video at the Congress’ first public hearing on UFOs in 50 years, and lawmakers pledged to bring transparency to the investigation of unexplained reports by military pilots and others.
“Sekret Machines is a non-stop action-packed conspiracy thriller, and we are thrilled to be working with Dan and Tom to bring this story to television audiences,” said Jennifer Breslow, EVP, Television & Digital Media at Legendary Television. “The novels are inspired by real events that bring to it a level of authenticity that will generate conversation and make us question everything we know.”
Farah will executive produce, through his Farah Films banner, alongside DeLonge, who will executive produce through his To The Stars Media, which also published and owns the books. Andrew Farah will co-executive produce under the Farah Films banner.
“My book franchise, Sekret Machines, is a result of everything I have learned, and continue to learn, about the realities of the U.S. government’s interactions with UFOs and related matters,” said DeLonge, a founding member of Blink-182. “With an elevated, thrilling, and commercial adaptation in mind, I’m very honored and excited to have partnered with someone as experienced and talented as Dan Farah, who produced the blockbuster adaption of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, and Legendary Entertainment, who produced the recent blockbuster adaptation of Dune. Two of my favorite modern sci-fi classics.”
Farah Films produced Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, based on Ernest Cline’s book franchise, and The Shannara Chronicles, based on Terry Brooks’ book franchise. The company also is behind HBO’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s classic horror franchise, Hellraiser, with David Gordon Green directing, HBO’s adaptation of the Polish film, The Hater, the sequel to Who’s The Boss for Sony, and the adaptation of Ernest Cline’s bestseller, Armada, for Universal. The company recently produced documentary The Phenomenon, about the long standing global mystery surrounding UFOs. Dan Farah is also an EP on new reboot of The Crow, directed by Rupert Sanders.
DeLonge is currently in post on his coming-of-age feature film Monsters of California, which he directs in his feature directorial debut, from an original script he wrote with Ian Miller.
“Tom and A.J.’s Sekret Machines books deliver an extremely original, gripping, epic, and sprawling thriller set around the long-standing global mystery involving UFOs, a topic I’ve been fascinated with since watching Close Encounters as a kid,” said Farah. “I couldn’t put the books down and can’t wait to bring the story to the screen.”
DeLonge and To The Stars Media’s rights to the novels are repped by APA. DeLonge is also repped by Heidy Vaquerano and Joshua Edwards at Fox Rothschild. Farah Films is repped by Greenberg Glusker.
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