Behind the Scenes of [Our Excitement Over] Murderbot

Get in, losers; we’re going to Port FreeCommerce.

Martha Wells, the author of the inimitable Murderbot Diaries, has started posting some behind the scenes – and spoiler free – pictures from the set of Murderbot on AppleTV+. And well, we don’t have a scary helmet to hide our feelings under, so you’re gonna have to deal with all of our excitement every time you look at us. Our bad.

The first pics to roll out were official behind-the-scenes of SecUnit itself, played by Alexander Skarsgård, and they already sent us. Because, let’s be honest, we want Murderbot to not understand that it is, fundamentally, enrapturing to look at. It can hide behind its very scary helmet all it wants, but at least part of that has to be the human reaction to THAT FACE.

I’ve been telling everyone I know to read this series for more than four years now, and I’ve yet to have anyone tell me that they made a mistake in picking it up. Recommending genre gateway books can sometimes be hit or miss, but I’ve told anyone and everyone that The Murderbot Diaries is the best gateway to science fiction books if they haven’t dipped their toe in to it, knowing it will prove out.

@thecool_table Mürd3rBot is everything #booktok#scifi#marthawells#murderbot #books#bookrec#scifibooks ♬ 3 Sum – Mark Dohner

But maybe the idea of a fascinating character study, a fully realized sci-fi world or a tersely-written novel isn’t enough to spark your interest. Well perhaps we now have something else to reel you in.

Source: Martha Wells on Instagram

That’s Murderbot author, Martha Wells, with producer-director-writer, Chris Weitz. Since I’ve been paying attention to Murderbot news since his production company, Depth of Field, first optioned it years ago, I’ve been supremely aware that Chris and Paul Weitz were helming the show for Apple. But for those of you who might not know, here’s why you should care that this is the showrunner.

It’s CHRIS WEITZ. The award winner writer and director of movies like About a Boy (arguably one of the best adapted screenplays of the aughts) and Rogue One (inarguably the best of the new canon Star Wars films) and New Moon (*I will fight you arguing that it is* the best of the Twilight Saga movies).

This guy has given us Hugh Grant closing his eyes and singing Killing Me Softly. He directed this badass corridor fight between Darth Vader and rebel guards. And, he conceived of my favorite, the Hearing Damage scene from New Moon.

Long story short, I will fight anyone who says that About a Boy isn’t the best Nick Hornby adaptation (suck it, High Fidelity) or that Rogue One isn’t the best of the new Star Wars movies (Solo doesn’t even exist really), and that New Moon isn’t the best Twilight movie (and the best soundtrack). Weitz is ELITE at adaptation. I will follow him anywhere.

And so, excitement for the show isn’t just about the source material (I mean, About a Boy is my least favorite Hornby and New Moon too; there is no Edward in that shit). It’s about the very good hands our SecUnit is in.

And it’s about The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon because there is NO way that Chris Weitz has passed on getting to make an in-universe soap opera for his SecUnit to obsess over. NO WAY.

And we cannot wait.

So pull up a chair, and get ready to talk all things Murderbot with us at The Cool Table. Because we are sat.