The creators of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will trek from Paddy's Irish Pub to outer space for their next series. Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton have signed a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox, and the first project to come from it is Boldly Going Nowhere, says Variety.

The comedy/sci-fi pilot, which is being developed for the FOX network, is about the everyday life of a spaceship captain, following what happens in-between missions. McElhenney tells Variety, "We grew up watching shows like Star Trek, anything having to do with the future, and it was always about the adventures they'd go on. We thought it would be funny to watch what goes on in between those adventures, when they're waiting for the next big thing to happen. How do they keep themselves busy?"

The initial idea for the show came from Adam Stein, a writers' assistant on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, who will share a "written and created" by credit on the project with McElhenney, Day and Howerton. The pilot for Boldly Going Nowhere won't be shot until October, so that work can be completed first on Season 4 of Sunny, which McElhenney, Day and Howerton also star on.

FOX is showing a lot of enthusiasm for Boldly Going Nowhere, ordering not just the pilot episode, but five more scripts. Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly tells Variety, "I wish it was less rare that when you get a comedy script, you laugh out loud. This really felt like a bull's-eye for Fox. It's a concept I've seen developed before badly, many times. These guys nailed it."