AMC has greenlit a new scripted anthology series, “The Terror,” based on the bestselling novel by Dan Simmons, Variety has learned.

Written by David Kajganich (“True Story,” “A Bigger Splash”), the series is set in 1847, when a Royal Naval expedition crew searching for the Northwest Passage is attacked by a mysterious predator that stalks the ships and their crew in a suspenseful and desperate game of survival. AMC has ordered 10 hourlong episodes for premiere in 2017.

The series hails from Scott Free, Emjag Productions and Entertainment 360 in association with AMC Studios.

Kajganich will serve as co-showrunner with Soo Hugh (“The Whispers,” “The Killing”). Executive producers are Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker of Scott Free, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, both principals at Emjag Productions, and Guymon Casady of Entertainment 360, the content arm of Management 360.

“We’ve been focused on developing this incredible story for television with these great partners for a couple of years, and we think it provides rich dramatic material but also an opportunity to explore the anthology format, which is something we’re extremely interested in and offers some unique possibilities,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Originality is still something that gets our attention every day, and the very unique mixing of historical non-fiction with a gripping and imaginative science fiction overlay in Dan’s novel is something that we hadn’t seen before. That, combined with an exceptional team behind the project made this something we really wanted to bring to air on AMC.”

“Dan’s novel is that rare combination of fascinating actual history, ground-breaking genre storytelling, and the complex character work of literature,” Kajganich said. “The chance to launch a series that will incorporate all of these elements going forward, and with a team of this caliber, is extraordinary.”

“As a long-time fan of Dan Simmons, the opportunity to join this project is a dream come true,” Hugh said. “We look forward to bringing this story to life for the passionate AMC audience.”

AMC recently ordered a late-night pop culture talk show to be hosted by Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg, and a travel series, “Ride with Norman Reedus,” starring “Walking Dead” favorite Reedus as he travels across the country on his motorcycle. This season the cabler will unveil hotly-anticipated comic book adaptation “Preacher,” from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; miniseries “The Night Manager,” starring Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman; and drama “Feed the Beast,” toplined by David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess.