Netflix will adapt Hugo-nominated bestseller 'Old Man's War' into film; story named as best science fiction in the past decade

Netflix acquires film rights to John Scalzi's bestselling science fiction novel "Old Man's War."Reuters/Mike Blake

Netflix will adapt a new science-fiction franchise as an upcoming film. The popular streaming service recently gained the rights to "Old Man's War," a science fiction novel written by John Scalzi.

The story of "Old Man's War" is set in the future — in a time when humans have already mastered interstellar travel. Humans use this knowledge to explore planets, trying to find ones that are habitable. However, they soon find out that they are not alone in the universe. They are also not the only ones looking for planets that can sustain life.

Upon meeting alien entities, a perpetual interstellar war ensues. The conflict is for the domination of planets that are habitable and are rich in resources.

To keep up with demanding off-planet colonization efforts, an entity called the Colonial Defense Force offered people of retirement age a chance to fight for their species. If a person enlists, that person's consciousness is transferred to a new body based on their genetic code.

The new body is made for battle, and the enlisted will be sent to outer space to fight in the war. Basically, Old men in the story have two options. They can choose to age and die on Earth, or they can opt to transfer their minds into younger, battle-ready bodies made to fight against intergalactic species.

"Old Man's War" is the bestselling debut novel by Scalzi, former president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. The novel was nominated for a Hugo Award and is considered to be one of the greatest science fiction novels written in the past decade.

The film will be a welcome addition to Netflix's impressive library of science fiction titles. It would keep the company of other popular sci-fi series such as "Stranger Things," "Black Mirror," and "Altered Carbon."

Scalzi himself was brought in as a producer for the upcoming film. He will be working with Madhouse Enertainment and Jon Shestack Productions. However, Netflix has not announced a release date for the film yet.