Sci-fi classic Day of the Triffids set for U.K.-Canadian remake

John Wyndham's mid-century dystopian tale The Day of the Triffids will be revisited in a new star-studded television remake, slated for broadcast later this year.

The British-Canadian co-production's cast includes Vanessa Redgrave and her daughter, Joely Richardson, as well as Dougray Scott, Eddie Izzard, Brian Cox and Canadian Jason Priestley.

Scheduled to debut on BBC television, the two-part, high-definition drama will be set in 2011 and follow humankind's discovery of triffids: dangerous, carnivorous plants that nevertheless prove extremely valuable as a promising new fuel source.

However, after a global disaster leaves much of the populace blind and society falling apart, the triffids break out of their captivity and breed.

Co-produced by British independent production house Power and Toronto-based Prodigy Pictures, the revamped Triffids has a script by British writer Patrick Harbinson, whose credits include U.S. TV series such as E.R., Law & Order, Dark Angel and Millennium.

Filming is underway in southeastern England and is expected to continue through April.

Wyndham's story, considered among the top science fiction novels, has previously been adapted for film, television and radio.