You might say he kinda already did but one of the first post Doctor Who jobs taken by Steven Moffat will be to adapt The Time Traveler’s Wife for HBO.

Based on the bestselling novel by Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a magical love story about Henry DeTamble, who, due to a genetic disorder, involuntarily travels through time – so when he falls in love with Clare Abshire, she must learn to deal with his condition.

Speaking about the new adaptation to Deadline, Steven Moffat said:

“I read Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife many years ago, and I fell in love with it. In fact, I wrote a Doctor Who episode called The Girl In The Fireplace as a direct response to it. When, in her next novel, Audrey had a character watching that very episode, I realized she was probably on to me. All these years later, the chance to adapt the novel itself, is a dream come true. The brave new world of long form television is now ready for this kind of depth and complexity. It’s a story of happy ever after – but not necessarily in that order.”

HBO president of programming Casey Bloys added:

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Steven Moffat, Hartswood and WBTV on The Time Traveler’s Wife. Steven’s passion is evident in every project he’s written and we are certain that his love and respect for this mesmerising and textured novel will make it a quintessential HBO series.”

The Time Traveler’s Wife will be executive produced by Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue, and Brian Minchin through their Hartswood Films.

Hartswood commented on the news:

“HBO is the perfect home to tell this incredible story with all the scale and space it needs, and we’re delighted to be working with Warner Bros to bring Steven’s thrilling vision of the novel to life.”

HBO will produce in association with Warner Bros. Television, which has the rights to the title.