Syfy, Tongal call on fans to adapt Wattpad hit

US cablenet Syfy has linked up with online creator network Tongal and Toronto-based web storytelling platform Wattpad to adapt one of the latter’s most popular stories.

Story to Screen – A Digital Pilot Project is inviting filmmakers to pitch ideas for sci-fi thriller Expiration Date, with the winning pitch potentially being made into a digital series for Syfy.com.

The joint venture launches today on Tongal with a call for entries and the partnership is part of the Syfy Wire Fan Creators initiative launching this month.

Once treatments are submitted, the next step will see three finalists receive funding to produce a proof of concept in the form of a series trailer. One grand prize winner will then be given additional investment to create a digital pilot episode with the potential for an entire series to be made.

Expiration Date was one of the most popular sci-fi stories on Wattpad in 2016 and 2017, with more than 16 million reads to date. Mikaela Bender’s sci-fi thriller imagines a society in which citizens are marked with their Expiration Date – the day they are supposed to die – at birth.