Syfy

Just when you thought the prospect of a TV remake of "12 Monkeys" without Brad Pitt or Bruce Willis or Terry Gilliam's stylish visuals couldn't possibly be any more thrilling, along comes news that the show will sync with your Philips Hue light bulbs . Seriously.

The new Syfy series expands on the stylish 1995 time-twisting movie directed by Terry Gilliam, which was in turn based on Chris Marker's 1962 short film "La Jetée". "X-Men" actor Aaron Stanford steps into the lead role as time traveller James Cole; Canadian actress Emily Hampshire takes on Pitt's role as the disturbed inmate who helps Cole track down the source of a deadly virus; and Amanda Schull, last seen in "Suits", takes over from Madeleine Stowe as the doctor who gets entangled with Cole. Distinctive "Manhunter" villain Tom Noonan is also aboard as a -- what else -- mysterious killer.

If you have a Hue lighting system installed, it will react to audio cues in the show's soundtrack that trigger a "light track", adjusting the lighting to match the action on the screen. Each of the 13 episodes has its own light track to help draw you into what's happening, according to Syfy.

In order to enjoy light tracks, you need to download the Syfy Sync app on your Apple iPhone or iPad. The app serves up videos, games, polls and other " second screen" features for the show you're watching, and the latest update adds control of your Hue lighting too. You can sync selected lamps or all of your Hue lights together. Although "12 Monkeys" is the first, other shows that work with Hue will have a light bulb icon.

This is Syfy's second dalliance with Hue. Previously the Hue system got its teeth into the soundtrack of TV movie .

"12 Monkeys" premieres in the US on Friday, 16 January, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. In the meantime, here's the trailer for the 1995 film...