AMC's long-gestating 'Orphan Black' follow-up is still happening, finally lands a writer

The next era of Orphan Black just took a big step forward. Variety reports that Anna Fishko, whose previous credits include Fear the Walking Dead and Colony, has been tapped to write and executive produce a follow-up to the acclaimed BBC America series, which was first announced all the way back in 2019. 

The new, still officially untitled series would not be a reboot or a revival of the original series, but a new show set in the same universe. The show has assembled a writers' room under Fishko's guidance, but we still don't know exactly where the plot will take things, or if any characters from the original series will be involved. Interestingly, while BBC America was the home of the original series, and original producer Temple Street Productions is also onboard, the follow-up is set up at AMC, another network in the same corporate family. 

Created by John Fawcett and Graeme Manson, Orphan Black debuted in 2013 and consistently drew critical acclaim and devoted fans throughout its original BBC America run. The story of a woman named Sarah (Tatiana Maslany) who discovers she's one of a group of several clones (also Tatiana Maslany), the show began as a conspiracy thriller centered on a plot to kill the various clones, before growing and evolving into a fascinating multi-character study of the nature of identity, while retaining its thrilling genre core. Maslany consistently drew acclaim to the show for her multiple performances in each episode. 

Orphan Black concluded its original run in 2017 after 50 episodes across five seasons, but the story has expanded in other media. In 2014, IDW Publishing released a comics series based on the show, and in 2019 Maslany returned to reprise her various clone roles in an official audio drama continuation titled Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. That same year, AMC announced the development of a follow-up show in the Orphan Black universe, but there's been relatively little movement on the project since then. Now, with a team of writers in place, we can hope to know more about where the new show's focus lies soon.