Amazon has announced Sissy Spacek and Ed O’Neill will star in intriguing new science fiction series Lightyears (not Light Years!)

With filming due to commence later this year, we learn from Deadline of the cast of Oscar Winner Sissy Spacek and multiple Emmy-nominated Modern Family star Ed O’Neill in Lightyears. We have to say the premise is intriguing:

Written by Holden Miller, Lightyears follows Franklin and Irene York, played by O’Neill and Spacek, a couple who years ago discovered a chamber buried in their backyard which 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.

We also have synopses for the two main characters:

Irene is a retired English teacher with a thoughtful, magnetic presence. As her health fades, Irene’s life with her husband Franklin increasingly revolves around visits to the chamber. For decades they’ve kept the chamber a secret, with Irene obsessing about the deeper meaning of their discovery.

Franklin is a former woodworker with a charmingly grumpy demeanor. After more than 50 years of marriage, Franklin still has a powerful devotion to his wife but doesn’t share her fascination with the chamber, a secret which weighs heavily on him. For her sake, he is willing to endure its presence in their lives, but his patience is wearing thin.

There’s no clue as to the identity of the enigmatic young man and we assume there will be other casting details closer to filming. While Lightyears will air on Prime, it’s unlikely to arrive any earlier than late 2022, but of course we’ll keep you posted.

NB: in the absence of any artwork from Amazon, we’ve put together the accompanying picture. We’ll bring you the real thing when we get it.