Hulu Orders House of Cards Creator's Sci-Fi Drama The First

House of Cards' Beau Willimon's new space drama has been picked up by Hulu, the streaming service announced at its upfront presentation Wednesday.

Currently titled The First, the series will be set in the near-future and center around a group of scientists and astronauts as they journey on the first human mission to Mars. "It's a story about the human spirit," Willimon said in a statement. "About our indomitable need to reach for unknown horizons. About people working toward the greatest pioneering achievement in human history. And about the cost of that vision, the danger and sacrifice -- emotional, psychological, and physical -- that's required to achieve it. How ordinary, imperfect people band together and overcome a myriad of obstacles to grasp the extraordinary."

In addition to House of Cards, Willimon is a noted playwright. His play Farragut North was adapted into the George Clooney film The Ides of March, which Willimon wrote and co-produced.

The First is expected to debut on Hulu in 2018.