Seth MacFarlane Is Switching Gears To Develop Epic Drama 'The Winds Of War'

Seth MacFarlane is going to be more than the comedy guy. The creator of Family Guy and The Orville is shifting gears to develop his first fully dramatic project, The Winds of War. An epic period drama, The Winds of War is a limited series based on on Herman Wouk's novel of the same name as well as his War and Remembrance, which MacFarlane is set to write and executive produce with The Alienist executive producer Seth Fisher.The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Seth MacFarlane is developing a limited drama series with The Alienist's Seth Fisher under the working title The Winds of War, based on Herman Wouk's period drama novels. Described as an "epic story of one American family's turbulent voyage across the continents and across the years that spanned the Second World War," The Winds of War will be MacFarlane's first fully dramatic project and the first step in the "next phase of his career," according to Dawn Olmstead, president of Universal Content Productions, the studio behind the drama.

"We are thrilled to announce The Winds of War (and War and Remembrance) as the first of many projects we are developing with Fuzzy Door. This is an epic story of valor, perseverance, survival and family that will be retold through a current lens," Olmstead said.

The Winds of War is the first project under MacFarlane's $200 million overall deal with NBCUniversal set up earlier this year after MacFarlane left his longtime home at 20th Century Fox Television after more than two decades. MacFarlane and Fisher will executive produce with Fuzzy Door's Erica Huggins. Rachel Hargreaves-Heald is the executive in charge for Fuzzy Door. MacFarlane said in a statement:

"I can't think of a more exciting project with which to launch my creative partnership with UCP than Herman Wouk's The Winds of War. I've been a devoted fan of Wouk's WWII epic for decades, and its depiction of small-scale human endurance in the face of large-scale global upheaval has never been more relevant than it is today. In my very first meeting with Dawn Olmstead, we connected over this project — I learned that she herself comes from a Naval family — and to bring it to fruition under her stewardship and that of her UCP team will be a perfect fit for all. We can't wait to get started."

It's certainly outside of the box for MacFarlane, though his Fox sci-fi comedy The Orville may have been a sign of new things to come, as the series apparently struck a more dramatic tone than comedic (to mixed results). But good on MacFarlane for getting out of his comfort zone and becoming more than the guy behind Family Guy and who made for a really awkward Oscars host.