sf/f TV development news - 2013

[sojourner]

Ooooo, period piece. That could be fun!

 

[JD]

Yeah, that does sound pretty cool. I think that is the most interesting I've found a short description like that in a while.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Cary Elwes To Star In USA Pilot 'Horizon'

Elwes will play Max Hartman, a mysterious man who leads a double life in wartime DC.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Syfy Gives Pilot Order To ‘Dominion’ As Quartet Of Other Projects Heat Up

Syfy has greenlighted a 90-minute pilot for Dominion, a drama based on characters from the 2010 feature Legion, which starred Paul Bettany.

In addition to Dominion, Syfy has narrowed the field for more pickups as I hear the network is considering both pilot and straight-to-series orders. Said to be at the top of the list are four projects, at least one of which is expected to go straight to series.The quartet includes another movie adaptation, 12 Monkeys, from writers Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett, director Jon Cassar and Atlas Entertainment; Clandestine, from actor-writer Todd Stashwick and artist Dennis Calero, described as a swashbuckling space drama/adventure revolving around mercenaries who masquerade as part of an intergalactic fleet; Proof, from Marti Noxon and M. Night Shyamalan, about the son of a billionaire tech genius who offers a large reward for anyone who can find proof of life after death; and Sojourn, from Phil Levens, Jason Blum and Lionsgate, about a space detective tasked with investigating a murder on a starship.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Looks like RHW's Defender is definitely dead, but at least we've got a couple of space-based shows in the running.

As for the others-- they don't sound too exciting, but we'll have to see how they develop.

 

[Christopher]

I recognize those two space projects from the April press release. But it sounds like the prospects are fading for Orion, the premise about "an adventurous female relic hunter" against an interstellar-war backdrop, and Infinity, Javier Grillo-Marxuach's lost-in-space premise. Perhaps they felt Infinity was too derivative of Farscape or other similar ideas, though I'm sure JGM would've found a fresh twist on it.

As for Defender, that apparently died a while ago. The April announcement mentioned that RHW was developing an alternate-world fantasy called Silver Shields.

 

[Terror Door]

Since RHW recently joined the writing staff of Star-Crossed, does that mean Silver Shields is also dead? Or is it normal for writers to join other shows while still pitching their own projects?

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

Sojourn is the generational ship show, right?

As much as I like to see any Bryan Fuller show, I'm glad he's focusing on Hannibal instead of splitting his time with High Moon (which didn't really grab my interest when I read its tiny blurb in the SyFy press release).

Fingers crossed for the space shows still in the running.

 

[Christopher]

Sojourn is the generational ship show, right?

I believe so, yes. Although isn't there another generation-ship show in development on another network? Maybe I'm thinking of The CW's The Hundred or whatever that's called.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

I believe so, yes. Although isn't there another generation-ship show in development on another network? Maybe I'm thinking of The CW's The Hundred or whatever that's called.

Thanks for the confirmation on Sojourn, Christopher.

As for the 100 show, it sounds more like a space station in orbit over Earth since the apocalypse nearly a century prior. Since it's just parked in orbit, does that still qualify as a generation-ship? Or does that designation only apply to vehicles on a long journey TO somewhere?

[When I was looking up the 100, I knew it was based on a book series (knowing the CW, presumably a young adult novel series) but I was surprised to learn that the first book in the series hasn't even been released yet. According to Amazon, it comes out in September with the first handful of chapters available for free download in a few weeks.]

 

[JD]

I'm glad to see them looking at some more space shows. Even though I enjoy the fantasy stuff they've been showing lately it's still nice to see them looking at doing more science fiction.

 

[Christopher]

^Well, like I said, I think there's another generation-ship idea out there, and I wondered if I was misremembering that show, but maybe that's not it and there really is another one.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

AMC is developing a show called Ballistic City, which is described as a cop show set on a generation ship travelling to another star system. That's probably the show you're thinking of, Christopher.

 

[Christopher]

^Yeah, that's the one. Thanks.

 

[Sindatur]

Didn't SyFy already announce Blake's 7 with a full season of 13 episodes? I think it startd with Pilot commision, then changed to full season order? Haven't heard a thing more on that?

 

[Kegg]

^
A description of the first scene of the pilot (set in Blake's London flat) has been online:

The year is 2136, Blake wakes up on one side of the bed. He reaches for the other side. There’s nobody there. As reality sets in, this handsome ex-soldier sits up, and looks at a photo of his wife Rachel. Beautiful. Deceased.

Otherwise nothing.

 

[publiusr]

AMC is developing a show called Ballistic City, which is described as a cop show set on a generation ship travelling to another star system. That's probably the show you're thinking of, Christopher.

Take a look at Star Trek Secrets of the Universe On the History2 channel:
http://www.history.com/shows/star-trek-secrets-of-the-universe/episodes

It showed a generation ship that looked like the argus array, as well as footage of the Enterprise that looked to be made for that documentary--not just bits from the two JJ movies.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Incursion, described as Band of Brothers meets Halo, is still in development at Starz, but it's moving slowly as they try to figure out how to tackle such a difficult production within a reasonable budget. Starz's Chris Albrecht said this at the Television Critics Association panel recently:

There’s been a lot of pre-production that’s been done. We’ve realized just how challenging this is just from a production standpoint. The description of ‘Band of Brothers meets Halo’ is really apt and comes with all the necessary command of resources that would need to be applied against it…It is in a slow pause just because we can’t go forward on a pilot that would not be affordable. We need to do a lot more work in the pilot phase.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Josh Hartnett and Eva Green have been cast in Showtime's Penny Dreadful. From Deadline Hollywood:

Josh Hartnett and Eva Green have been tapped for Showtime’s upcoming eight-episode series Penny Dreadful, created, written and executive produced by John Logan and executive produced by Sam Mendes . The psychosexual horror series features some of literature’s most iconic figures as then become embroiled in Victorian London, and will begin production in London this fall.. Green will play the heroine, the beautiful Vanessa Ives. Hartnett will play handsome “fake cowboy” American Ethan Chandler.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Huh, Eva Green...I'm in.