Syfy is teaming up with producers Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Graham King (The Departed, Argo), and Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Due Date) to adapt Dan Simmons‘ Hugo award-winning science fiction epic Hyperion as an event series. Itamar Moses (Boardwalk Empire) will write the screenplay and serve as co-executive producer.

Holy hell, this is exciting. I’ve been waiting years for this one. Hyperion is a space opera of the highest caliber and and one of the best science fiction series of all time. Simmons created a universe that is complex, engrossing, often terrifying, and populated by fascinating characters. What’s more, Syfy has assembled an excellent team of producers to bring the story to TV.

I’m intrigued to find out how they will handle the unconventional narrative of the books – the first is told in a series of vignettes introducing the characters, while the second installment, The Fall of Hyperion, is a more conventional, action-packed linear narrative that pays off everything established in the first novel. The series format is certainly ideal. I could never see how these books would have worked as a movie. I also can’t wait to see how they handle The Shrike, the absolutely horrifying humanoid monster of the series, who skewers his victims on the thorns of a metal tree where they suffer the eternal pain of impalement.

To be perfectly honest, I always hoped to see Hyperion end up at a premium cable network where top-notch production values would be guaranteed, but Syfy has been on a major upswing lately, tackling high-profile properties like The Magicians, The Expanse and Brave New World, and the network knocked it out of the park with the 12 Monkeys series, so this could end up being a perfect fit.

Here’s Syfy’s official synopsis for Hyperion.

Set on the eve of Armageddon with the entire galaxy at war, Hyperion is the story of seven pilgrims who set forth on a voyage to seek the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope and a terrible secret — while one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands.

What do you guys think? Are you excited by the idea of a series adaptation? Who would you like to see cast as the seven pilgrims? Seriously though, how freaking scary is The Shrike? Sound off in the comments.