Fox to revive Irwin Allen's sci-fi legacy

With a pilot in production that revisits the late producer Irwin Allen's sci-fi classic Time Tunnel, Fox Entertainment has now inked a deal with Allen's estate for rights to other sci-fi shows in his catalogue.

Fox and Synthesis Entertainment, which handles rights to Allen's shows, have signed a deal which sees Fox getting broadcast and remake rights to a batch of other Allen titles, like Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Land of the Giants.

Time Tunnel (30×50', ABC), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (110×50', ABC) and Land of the Giants (51×60', ABC) were originally coproduced by 20th Century Fox TV so it already jointly-owned the shows with Allen.

Lost in Space was originally a copro between Allen, Jodi Productions and Van Bernard Productions and Fox TV for CBS. Remake rights to Lost in Space were previously held by New Line Cinema, which produced the 1998 theatrical update.

Fox Entertainment is already working on a two-hour telemovie version of Lost in Space for NBC, as well as the Time Tunnel pilot for Fox. Feature film and merchandising rights are also in the deal.

Other elements in the Synthesis deal see 20th Century Fox Television retaining off-network rights to the original 1960s series of Lost in Space (83×60').

The mood for antique sci-fi is growing in the US: UPN recently picked up a pilot for a drama series that promises to revive the legendary 1960s black-&-white suspense anthology series The Twilight Zone.