History is set to experience some close encounters of the third kind with its new series Project Blue Book, which dropped its first trailer. The series, a fictionalized account of real-life investigations into UFOs and the possible existence of little green men is the latest drama from the cable channel which has made substantial forays into the scripted television, with the likes of the long-running Vikings, last year’s Knightfall, and the recently canceled SIX.
The series comes with a significant pedigree, in the form of executive producer Robert Zemeckis, as well as series leads Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) and Neal McDonough (Legends of Tomorrow), and, if you look closely, Sopranos star Michael Imperioli makes a brief appearance in the trailer as well. Check out a full synopsis of the series below:
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“HISTORY’s upcoming new drama series “Project Blue Book” is based on the true, Top Secret investigations into Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and related phenomena conducted by the United States Air Force from 1952-1969. The series is inspired by the personal experiences of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a brilliant college professor recruited by the U.S. Air Force to spearhead this clandestine operation (Project Blue Book) that researched thousands of cases, over 700 of which remain unsolved to this day. Each episode will draw from the actual case files, blending UFO theories with authentic historical events from one of the most mysterious eras in United States history.”
From the look of the trailer, Project Blue Book has a solid handle on the material and is clearly going all-in with the conspiracy angle so common to shows like this. With Gillen’s Hynek acting against the wishes of the powers that be, namely, McDonough’s Gen. James Harding and Michael Malarkey as Capt. Michael Quinn, the series is reminiscent of The X-Files though it also has a creepy angle to it as well, something along the lines of certain alien abduction films like Communion and Fire In the Sky. To the trailer’s credit, it doesn’t seem as though Project Blue Book is going to beat around the bush with regard to the question of “Are there little green men running around?” as the final seconds of the preview (as well as the image released by History) pretty much confirm the series will take a “We are definitely not alone” stance with regard to its central question.
With a strong cast and a great premise that capitalizes on the "Based on True Events" label typically reserved in recent years for haunted house stories or films about demonic possession, Project Blue Book looks as though it will have genre fans saying “I want to believe” all over again.
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Project Blue Book premieres this Winter on History.
Source: History