Creator Mikaela Bender’s sci-fi story Expiration Date, submitted through Wattpad, has been read over 16 million times in the last couple years, and Syfy sees the potential to adapt the story for the screen. As reported by Deadline today, Syfy plans to turn Expiration Date into a digital series, and they’re seeking out help through the Tongal platform.

The site reports, “The joint venture (“Story to Screen – A Digital Pilot Project”) kicks off today on the Tongal platform with a call for filmmakers to pitch how they would bring Expiration Date to life as a digital series at Syfy.com. The partnership is part of the Syfy Wire Fan Creators initiative launching this month.”

They continue, “Starting today, creators can submit a treatment that captures what Expiration Date could look like as a digital series on Syfy.com. Candidates will be pared down to three finalists, who will receive funding to produce a proof of concept in the form of a series trailer. Tongal, Syfy and Wattpad will then award one grand prize winner additional funding to create a digital pilot episode with the potential to go on to develop the entire series.”

“The sci-fi thriller takes place in a world where the date of one’s death is known by the mysterious Society. Centered on 19-year-old orphan Iris Levine, the story imagines a society in which citizens are marked with their “Expiration Date”— the day they are supposed to die— at birth. When Iris’s expiration date arrives, a mysterious man saves her from imminent death. Having survived her expiration date, Iris is now the Society’s biggest threat.”