Lightyears changes name to Night Sky and sets show launch date

Night Sky
Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons

The Amazon sci-fi drama series Lightyears that filmed in Chicago last summer, with Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons has changed the title of the show to Night Sky. They are currently finishing up post production for an expected show launch date of May 20th. Amazon will drop all eight episodes at the same time.

Night Sky follows Franklin (J.K. Simmons) and Irene York (Sissy Spacek), a couple who years ago discovered a chamber buried in their backyard that inexplicably leads to a strange, deserted planet. They’ve carefully guarded their secret ever since, but when an enigmatic young man enters their lives, the Yorks’ quiet existence is quickly upended… and the mysterious chamber they thought they knew so well turns out to be much more than they could ever have imagined.

The sci-fi drama filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, is a co-production of Amazon Studios and Legendary Television. The series is written and co-executive produced by Holden Miller, with Daniel C. Connolly serving as showrunner and executive producer, and Mosaic’s Jimmy Miller and Sam Hansen serving as executive producers. Argentinian director Juan José Campanella directed and executive produced the first two episodes.

Ed O’Neill was originally cast in the lead role of Franklin but announced in April 2021, that he had to leave the series due to family reasons.

JK Simmons, who replaced O’Neil, won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award in 2015 for Whiplash, with his other films including Spider-ManJuno, La La Land, and Thank You for Smoking. His TV credits include Oz and Counterpart,  and he lent his voice to shows such as The Legend of Korra and Amazon’s Invincible, which was recently renewed for two more seasons.

Oscar, Emmy, Grammy winning Sissy Spacek is a highly acclaimed actor on both the big and small screen. She has won one Oscar Award with a long list of 41 award wins & 51 nominations.


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