sf/f TV development news - 2013

[Belbo]

Vorta Claus wrote:

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The Last Resort goes to pilot.

Interesting - it's a very unusual-sounding premise and not at all the safe sort of thing.

Indeed. It was driving me mad trying to think of where I'd heard that premise before, until I realised they were basically riffing on Chinmoku no Kantai (Silent Service), the old Kawaguchi manga from the late 80s.

Anyone ever manage to see the anime that was made from the books? It supposed to be quite rare .....

So anime may be dying, but I'll bet TV & Hollywood will still be plundering it decades from now.

[Temis the Vorta]

Who knows if the creators of that premise have even heard of the anime story? It's not like the premise is so hard to come up with on your own.

Anyway, more news: Josh Schwartz adapting Misfits, probably for the CW and Chris Carter has a new potential sci-fi-ish sounding series as well.

I'm definitely not the CW demo, but Unique sounds interesting:

Carter’s Unique starts off as a revenge drama about a woman’s quest to solve her husband’s murder but is subsequently vaulted into a global mythological conspiracy show that takes place in a heightened reality.

[JD]

Hmm, I'm a big X-Files fan, so I'm willing to give anything Carter does at least one try.

[Temis the Vorta]

Is this the first series that Carter has been involved with since The X-Files?

Not sure what to make of this: Yahoo is launching a sci-fi animated series, Electric City, from Tom Hanks, blurring the boundaries between "show" and "game," a notion that's been kicking around for years now. Eventually someone is bound to figure it out how to make it work. (Maybe TrekBBS should license Star Trek from CBS and do something similar? )

The world as we know it has ended and out of the rubble, the Electric City stands as a symbol of peace and security. Yet under the veneer of order lies a world full of secrets and violence. Secret police, back-alley dealings, daring chases, and murder all find a home in the “Electric City.” Through the lens of a functioning, yet dystopian metropolis, “Electric City” touches upon relevant global issues and themes including energy consumption, freedom of information, crime and punishment and more. The story unfolds gradually, layering mystery upon mystery, inviting viewers to interact with the content and each other. Metaphors and symbols are woven throughout, creating a perfect environment for puzzle-solving and community interaction.

Yahoo!’s interactive and social features will allow viewers to:
o Navigate non-linearly and learn more about the world of “Electric City” through a 3-D interactive map
o Dig deeper into character back-stories and learn about the cast behind the characters’ voices
o Watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage
o Post reactions and commentary directly to Facebook and Twitter
o Engage members of their social networks in discussions and debates about societal themes, events and characters and/or join the larger “Electric City” community discussion
o Engage in casual games and other content related to the series

I guess I'll start being liberal-minded and add Yahoo, Netflix, etc's development efforts to my ever-expanding list.

[Temis the Vorta]

NBC considering Dracula TV series.

Set in the 1890s, it is described as “Dangerous Liaisons meets The Tudors” and as a big, sweeping international soap opera that is young, sexy and supernatural.

Personally, I'm not all that interested in more vampires, but if the story is set in a historically believable 19th C, that could be fun...

young, sexy and supernatural.

[Temis the Vorta]

The CW will sue NBC for stealing their motto!

[Enterprise is Great]

Green Arrow Drama Nears Pilot Order At CW

The CW is finalizing a deal for a pilot order to Arrow, an hourlong superhero drama based on DC Comics’ Green Arrow. It is written and executive produced by The Green Lantern co-writers Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim and Fringe and Vampire Diaries alum Andrew Kreisberg. I hear that David Nutter is interested in directing the project, which takes the comic book character, created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and sets him in a new world with an original story that is not based on the comics, published by DC Entertainment. Arrow, produced by Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti’s studio-based Berlanti Television, was developed by Berlanti and Guggenheim who came up with the story and then brought in Kreisberg to write the script. .

[JD]

I'm assuming this is a new version of the character, and not the Smallville Justin Hartley version?

[Admiral_Young]

Justin Hartley is not returning to the role. I'd be surprised if this gets off the ground. DC isn't having much luck developing their live action television projects. I think this would be like the fourth one since "Smallville" ended? Let's see..."Blue Beetle". "Booster Gold" (although I think this is still in development), "Raven", "Wonder Woman", and of course let's not forget the atrociously proposed "Grayson" series.

[JD]

Well, apparently there will be some live action Blue Beetle shorts as part of Cartoon Network's DC Nation. But, I doubt they're related to the proposed show.

Enterprise is Great wrote:

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Green Arrow Drama Nears Pilot Order At CW

Dag...I just made a thread about this. Here; http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=157099

I hope this happens.

[AvBaur]

From the writers of Green Lantern? I think I'll pass.

[Temis the Vorta]

Psycho prequel in the works from A&E.

Okay, that's not strictly supernatural, but I'm stretching the rules to let it in here.

A&E said today that it is in early development on Bates Motel, a drama series that serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic Psycho. Bates Motel, from Universal TV and writer Anthony Cipriano, will delve into how Norman Bates’ dark, twisted backstory from childhood through his teen years and will chronicle how his mother, Norma, and her lover damaged Norman, helping shape the most well-known serial killing motel owner in history.

As a proportion of TV development overall, sf/f is more dominant so far this year than I've ever seen. I've seen a smattering of non-genre shows in development (Starz' Marco Polo sounds interesting).

[Vendikarr]

Temis the Vorta wrote:

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As a proportion of TV development overall, sf/f is more dominant so far this year than I've ever seen. I've seen a smattering of non-genre shows in development (Starz' Marco Polo sounds interesting).

Yes, but somehow it will turn out that the majority of what they order will be cop/doctor/lawyer shows.