Syfy prepares Warehouse 13 spin-off

Syfy's popular Warehouse 13 is getting a sister series, based on female version of famous novelist H.G. Wells. Yup, that's science fiction for you.

The new show is in the script stage at the moment, with Warehouse 13 executive producer Jack Kenny writing. The show would take place during Wells' lifetime and utilize the popular steampunk aesthetic.

In the storyline of Warehouse 13, Wells was something of a phony, and his sister Helena was both a brilliant scientist and a talented writer. She allowed her brother to take credit for her works to avoid scorn from the male-dominated society of the late 1800s. (One wonders what Marie Curie and Mary Shelley would have to say about that.)

The Helena Wells character has been featured in six Warehouse 13 episodes so far, using her futuristic inventions to both aid and flummox the Warehouse team. Wells is played by Jaime Murray, whom Dexter fans will recognize as Season 2's love interest and villain, Lila. It's not known if Murray would reprise her role in a new series.

Warehouse 13's HG Wells, Jaime Murray

Warehouse 13 is Syfy's most popular original series, regularly scoring more than three million total viewers for new episodes. With the end of Stargate and Battlestar Galactica on the rocks after Caprica, the network could use a new franchise, and Warehouse 13 seems to fit the bill.

The unnamed spin-off wouldn't be Syfy's only show inspired by literary greats. Back in February the network secured the rights to Among the Spirits, a period piece/buddy cop show about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle teaming up with Harry Houdini to solve crimes.

Then there's ABC's Poe project, which sets the grisly poet on the same investigative task, and NBC's Fables, which pits the legendary Brothers Grimm against all manner of mythical monsters. The next year or so should see at least one or two of these projects come to fruition.

Warehouse 13 is preparing to start its third season in July. The new season will consist of thirteen episodes, and considering the crossover with Syfy's Eureka last year, fans might be in for an even more expanded role for Wells this season. Bones pulled off a similar trick when it fit the pilot for The Finder into its sixth season.

Warehouse 13 premieres July 11th at 9PM on Syfy.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter