sf/f TV development news - 2013

[Temis the Vorta]

Infinity is the one that piques my interest the most, because it's the most open-ended, harkening back to TOS or maybe VOY but I like to stay positive here.

With this tsunami of shows, how does the Blake's 7 remake fit? Is it greenlit in a more definite way than the rest of these, further along in development, or is it just one of several space opera series all jostling for a limited number of timeslots?

I haven't seen an article that says, yes, Blake's 7 has a series order. (The link from the "SyFy on Galaxy Quest" article is broken.) I could see SyFy having two space operas on at the same time, but not sure it's reasonable to hope for more.

PS, I nominate Claudia Black for the lead role of Orion (even if my hunch is, it'll go to an unknown half her age.) And Ben Browder has a new job somewhere in there, preferably a villain this time.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Blake's 7 has a 13-episode order.

 

[superdeluxe]

I'm excited to see all of these possible projects. Infinity seems the most interesting to me.

 

[BillJ]

Infinity is the one that piques my interest the most...

Two things bug me about it. One, this is a concept done at least three times before (Lost in Space, Star Trek: Voyager and Stargate: Universe. Two, it seems like it's leaving its most compelling story (first contact with aliens) behind. Of course, if it's done right it could be interesting.

I think Sojourn actually sounds the most interesting based on the blurbs we have.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The thing about Infinity is, it's a blank slate. VOY's example did flicker across my mind, but I chose to ignore it. The lack of any set formula suggests creative freedom and even the possibility interests me.

The other ones, I sort of know where they're going. Orion = Indiana Jones/Lara Croft. Sojourn could get bogged down with a mystery that spins its wheels until the audience gives up in frustration, and if it doesn't get cancelled and we actually get to the resolution, it could easily be another Lost. Clandestine overlaps with Blake's 7's premise too much - I'd like to see one of the two, but do we really need both?

The danger of High Moon is that Bryan Fuller's approach tends to be sweet and whimsical and charming but lacking in the kind of focus that holds the audience's attention. "Discovering the secrets of a new life form" sounds fun in principle but is it going to keep people tuning in week after week?

So basically they're all going to suck. Or maybe I'm suspicious of so much space opera all at once that I need to ward off the evil eye by dissing all of it.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Syfy has a pretty full slate of programming for the next year or so. Of the shows in script development, we'll probably only see one or two ordered to pilot a year from now.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Lots of interesting news. The Space Operas sound vaguely interesting, though I'm very disappointed that Defender was not picked up.

But here we have some fantastic news:

Ringworld and Childhood's End miniseries in the works at SyFy!

Michael Perry (The River, Paranormal Activity 2) is adapting Ringworld as a four-hour miniseries. The story follows a team of explorers that travel to the farthest reaches of space to investigate an alien artifact called Ringworld – an artificial habitat the size of one million Earths. As they crash land on this enormous structure, they discover the remnants of ancient civilizations, technology beyond their wildest dreams, mysteries that shed light on the very origins of man and, most importantly, a possible salvation for a doomed Earth.

...

Childhood’s End will be executive produced by Michael DeLuca (The Social Network) and follows a peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival ends all war and turns the planet into a near-utopia.

I really hope they can do these classics justice.

 

[Christopher]

Given Syfy's track record with miniseries adaptations of novels, I'm not optimistic about Ringworld and Childhood's End turning out well.

But I'll take heart from something Greg Cox told me once or twice: That even a bad screen adaptation of a novel will still bring new recognition and popularity to the novel itself, and new royalties to the author (or his heirs, if Clarke has any). So however these miniseries turn out, it's still a good thing that they're being made.

 

[RAMA]

Infinity is ripped out of the headlines, with all of these techno-philanthropists and private startups forming space based companies or giving money to research. Kind of a cool idea.

RAMA

 

[xortex]

Well they went ffrom none to too many mediocre ones. It makes sense. They have to justify their $1000 suits. They're sly-flys now.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Given Syfy's track record with miniseries adaptations of novels, I'm not optimistic about Ringworld and Childhood's End turning out well.

I don't think they've ever adapted a novel I cared about before, so I don't know. But the original mini-series that they used to do have been pretty good. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

News on S.H.I.E.L.D.

The title might get changed, probably for annoying legal reasons, not because there's anything wrong with it:

The issue could be the title’s similarity to FX’s former cop series The Shield. Perhaps all those periods aren’t enough to distinguish S.H.I.E.L.D. from The Shield, either from a legal or marketing perspective.

Legal perspective maybe. Nobody in the real world is likely to get the two shows confused.

Press release description:

Fresh from his role in the summer’s box office smash, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns to the worldwide law enforcement organization S.H.I.E.L.D. He puts together a small, highly trained, team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. That team consists of straight arrow Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), an expert in combat and espionage; pilot and martial artist Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen); and brilliant if socially awkward scientists Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). They’ll be joined by civilian new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).

Prepare for an epic adventure that showcases the hope and wonder of the human spirit. This is a world of Super Heroes, aliens and the unusual – of action, spectacle and world spanning stories. The show will speak to the human condition through the lens of our very human, non-powered S.H.I.E.L.D agents – that together we

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Other branches of the speculative fiction world are getting the royal treatment, too: Jamie Foxx will exec produce, write and direct a Tales From the Crypt-style half-hour horror anthology (no title yet) set to premiere in October. And (again, both in development) Scott Stewart will produce and direct a spin-off of the Paul Bettany movie Legion, called Dominion; while Robert Zemeckis will produce No Place, about a high-tech gated community that seems to exist outside reality.
There's a space opera show from Walking Dead producer Gale Ann Hurd in development, an urban fantasy series called Silver Shields—the slate looks like the table of contents from an issue of Locus.

http://m.adweek.com/news/television...-niven-arthur-c-clarke-new-jamie-foxx-series-


Silver shields? Space opera?!

 

[Christopher]

^The comma is misleading. Those are two different shows being referenced in that sentence. Hurd's space opera is Clandestine.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Clandestine

^The comma is misleading. Those are two different shows being referenced in that sentence. Hurd's space opera is Clandestine.

Here is info on it:

Clandestine

After a clan of bandits are nearly destroyed and left for dead by Coalition forces, they take refuge in the nearest safe haven, a derelict Coalition starship floating in space. Once onboard, they masquerade as Coalition officers while continuing their criminal ways – until they stumble upon a shocking realization about the true nature of the Coalition.

Also
Sojourn

Sojourn

The first detective ever in space is tasked with investigating a murder on a starship — headed to colonize another planet – and instead becomes embroiled in a vast conspiracy involving a mysterious terrible crime dating back to the original launch of the ship 50 years ago.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/04...syfy-development-slate-boosts-for-high-orbit/

Synopsis of 6 shows at the link.


Also the Starz alien planet-based scifi show "Incursion" major info here

'Incursion,' Starz's Sci-Fi War Drama, Will Have A Female Lead
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/04/10/incursion-starz-news_n_3054897.html

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm interested in the Crypt-style anthology, but it's nice to see a half-hour show for a change-- but won't they need another half-hour show to pair it with?

 

[Taylirious]

Not genre but I am hoping 'Reign' makes it through.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Here's an interview with Ron Moore about Helix, his upcoming Syfy show.

 

[Borgminister]

Lost meets Walking Dead?

 

[JD]

I'm interested in the Crypt-style anthology, but it's nice to see a half-hour show for a change-- but won't they need another half-hour show to pair it with?

They could always just show two episodes back to back like they do with most syndicated sitcoms.