Roland Emmerich, director of the upcoming disaster film 2012 has told Entertainment Weekly that a 2012 spin-off television series is already in the works. The show may air on ABC, and 2013 is a potential title.

Emmerich says the series will focus on what the survivors of the cataclysm do to rebuild civilization. He told EW, "The plan is that it is 2013 and it’s about what happens after the disaster. ... It is about the resettling of Earth. That is very, very fascinating."

Based on trailers for 2012 and Emmerich's past work (which includes films like Independence Day, the horrid 1998 remake of Godzilla, and 10,000 B.C.), we have little if any reason to be excited about the upcoming movie. However, the description of the TV show actually sounds interesting if you can forget about the film for a moment. Post-apocalyptic works, in which we follow characters trying to move on after world-changing events, tend to work much better in any literary medium than works that focus on the apocalypse itself. It is in the former that we get to examine who we are and what our civilization means. While these issues can be addressed in disaster films, they too often (especially in the case of Emmerich's films) seem more interested in special effects and action than in their characters. If the TV show is able to keep a focus on creating believable characters and examining them in a post-apocalyptic world, it could very well be a winner. Of course, it could easily end up being bad, too, but this is one that we're willing to give a chance.

2012 hits theaters November 13.