Yes, Lendelof has written a t.v. series for HBO, and yes "The Leftovers" has just been picked up for a full series.
The Lost co-creator announced his return to television last year. Since then, the series, which is adapted from author Tom Perrotta’s 2011 novel about life on earth after the rapture, has developed fairly quickly.
Peter Berg (Battleship) is signed on to direct the pilot episode. Justin Theroux is cast in the lead role. The show has recently rounded out its supporting cast with Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Ann Dowd, and Amanda Warren. Today, HBO announced that it was picking up the series for a full 10-episode order.
Given his reputation for leaving audiences hanging with unanswered questions and unresolved plots, the news of Lindelof’s return to TV will undoubtedly rub some people the wrong way. And his perceived strengths for leaving the audience hanging are only brought down when it is revealed to be a giant wine bottle cork (seriously, I thought it was a metaphor [and this is your big idea?). I stand by my statement that Lindelof for anything is a bad decision, and that he is the M. Night Shyamalan of screenplay writers. And Berg is directing after directing Battleship, the movie that put Transformers to shame?
It’s too early to say what kind of show The Leftovers will be. If it follows the style of the book (which is reasonable to assume given that Tom Perrotta is a co-writer and executive producer), the focus will likely be more on subtle character drama: “What happens to a person when their entire family disappears into thin air one day?” That being said, the book can only fill out a few episodes before it runs out of plot, so don’t be surprised if Lindelof also works in some mystery around the rapture itself.
The Leftovers currently does not have a premiere date, so stay tuned for Screen Rant for more information. Lindelof’s next film, Tomorrowland, hits theaters on Dec. 12, 2014.