Sci Fi News
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – NEW PROMO TRAILER FOR LAST 10 EPISODES!
TORCHWOOD RETURNS 2009
Filming for the third series of the smash hit drama Torchwood, created by Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies, has begun in Cardiff.
Due to transmit in 2009 on BBC One, the series — called Torchwood: Children Of Earth — sees the team embarking on a single action-packed adventure as they battle for the future of the human race against the fiercest force they have encountered.
The highly-motivated Torchwood team are John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones.
Other regular cast involved in their high-octane adventure are Kai Owen as Rhys Williams, Gwen’s husband, and Tom Price as PC Andy.
Special guests in the five part series are Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who, The Thick Of It, Skins), who plays the role of Mr Frobisher — a civil servant who is hiding a terrible secret; Paul Copely (Coronation Street, The Bill) as Clem — the survivor still haunted by his past; and Liz May Brice (Bad Girls, The Bill) as Johnson — the cynical covert government agent determined to expose Torchwood.
Russell T Davies said: “The new series of Torchwood is hugely bold and promises to be bigger and better than ever — the audience is in for an amazing ride.”
“This series is one big serial and the most ambitious story we’ve ever made, and we’ve got plenty of surprises in store.”
Julie Gardner, Head of Drama, BBC Wales, said: “We hope to make Torchwood a gripping and surprising TV event with storylines that push our team into greater danger and sacrifice.”
“Joining our main cast are some fantastic guest artists who will only add to making this unmissable TV.”
The first two series of Torchwood have received global critical acclaim and the hit drama has been sold to more than 20 countries.
The second series of the BBC Wales-produced series, broadcast on BBC Two earlier this year, attracted audiences of around 3.4 million, peaking at 4.2 million for the first episode. Including viewers on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer the consolidated audience was 5.1 million.
When it launched on BBC Three in October 2006, it attracted the channel’s highest viewing figures, with an audience of 2.5 million for the first episode.
SCI FI GREEN LIGHTS ‘CAPRICA‘Battlestar Galactica’ Prequel Gets 20 Episode Order – Series Slated for 2010 Premiere
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Stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker
SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on the new original series Caprica, ordering 20 hours of the drama including the two-hour pilot, it was announced today by Dave Howe, President, SCI FI. Caprica is the prequel to SCI FI’s hit original series Battlestar Galactica and stars Eric Stoltz (Milk, Chicago Hope), Esai Morales (Jericho, NYPD Blue), Paula Malcomson (Deadwood, ER) and Golden Globe? nominee Polly Walker (Cane, Rome).
Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families – the Graystones and the Adamas – as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics. Caprica will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting and family conflict in television?s first science fiction family saga. Production on the series is slated to begin summer ‘09 in Vancouver for a 2010 premiere. Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the pilot.
“Caprica will build on Battlestar Galactica’s acclaimed legacy of gripping drama and extraordinary characters,” says Dave Howe in making the announcement. “It’s the beginning of a brand new epic saga that will appeal to both new viewers, totally unfamiliar with the Battlestar franchise, as well as existing loyal and passionate Battlestar fans.”
“Ron, David and Remi have created an amazing series with thought-provoking storytelling that deals with a world very similar to our own. It’s definitely not as dark as Battlestar, but like that show, this series has smart, dimensional characters who grapple with issues of love, sex and politics from a world in transition,” says Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.
As the series begins, a startling development is about to occur – the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or “Cylon” – the ability to marry artificial intelligence with mechanical bodies. Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – father of future Battlestar commander William Adama (Sina Najafi) – a renowned civil liberties lawyer, becomes an opponent of the experiments undertaken by the Graystones (Eric Stoltz), owners of a large computer corporation that is spearheading the development of these living robots: the Cylons.
Caprica is produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (Battlestar Galactica) and Remi Aubuchon (24). It is co-written by Aubuchon and Moore and directed by Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights).
DEFYING GRAVITYDefying Gravity, a 13 episode series, is set to go into production in Vancouver January 19th by Fox TV Studios – but isn’t sold to a U.S. outlet yet. Gravity is more of an international production, and won’t be shopped to networks in the U.S. until it is completed. The series stars Ron Livingston (Office Space)and German actress Florentine Lahme (Impact), and is about eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system. Executive producer Michael Edelstein says the inspiration came from the BBC docudrama Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets.
Fox TV Studios has teamed with Canada’s CTV, Germany’s ProSieben and the BBC for “Defying Gravity,” a 13-episode adventure drama series starring Ron Livingston.
“Gravity,” which hails from creator/exec producer James Parriott (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and exec producer Michael Edelstein (“Desperate Housewives”), is set in the near future and revolves around eight astronauts from five countries who take on a mysterious six-year mission through the solar system. German actress Florentine Lahme also has been cast in “Gravity,” a co-venture between FtvS and Vancouver-based Omni Film Prods. whose Brian Hamilton and Michael Chechik also exec produce.
David Straiton has signed on to direct the first episode of the series, which is slated to begin production Jan. 19 in Vancouver.
“Gravity” marks the third independently produced FtvS series to go into production this year with international broadcasting partners. It follows “Mental,” a collaboration with Fox International Channels that is filming in Bogota, Colombia, and “Persons Unknown,” shooting in Mexico City in conjunction with Televisa and Italy’s RAI. The budget for all three total exceeds $70 million.
“We got three out of three going to 13 episodes,” FtvS chief Emiliano Calemzuk said. “It’s a batting average that the traditional producing model doesn’t get to see very often.”
As with its other internationally produced series, FtvS will be shopping “Gravity” to the U.S. networks as a finished product. Having strong international presales gives FtvS flexibility and a relatively low threshold of an U.S. license fee that would make its series profitable.
On Christmas 2006, Edelstein caught a repeat of the BBC docu-drama “Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets” on Discovery Channel, about an international crew of astronauts on a trip through space.
“I was blown away by it,” Edelstein said. He acquired the rights to it from British producer Impossible Pictures and approached Parriott, with whom he worked on ABC’s drama “Threat Matrix,” about developing and writing a TV series based on the premise for the international marketplace.
Parriott, a sci-fi geek at heart who had worked on the original “Bionic Woman” and “The Incredible Hulk,” was taken with it. “Throw in a little bit of ‘Grey’s’ and ‘Lost’ and you have a pretty good international TV show,” he said.
Edelstein then took the idea to Calemzuk, with whom he had a relationship going back to the FtvS chief’s tenure at Fox International Channels Italy.
Livingston, who will next be seen in “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” is repped by Endeavor, ThruLine and attorney Adam Kaller.
However Weaver wondered if the alien itself can and should factor into another film after the exposure its gotten in two “AVP” films. She asked aloud “whether there’s unchartered territory for a creature who’s become somewhat debased by this computer generated thing. I haven’t seen ["Alien Vs. Predator"] but I just think if you overexpose the creature, that’s a mistake.”
Weaver confirmed that she and Scott have discussed re-teaming for a fifth film, “Both of us feel a kind of commitment to that woman. He’s as much responsible for who she is as I am.” Then as she opined on the way the alien creature had been ruined in the recent films, Weaver’s comments got especially interesting.
“We’d have to go back to the drawing board on [the alien],” she said. “Ridley said that right away when we first talked about [a fifth film].”
And finally, the quote that’s gotten me mighty curious, “What we’re interested in is taking the character of Ripley and seeing what other science fiction story we can tell about someone who has lived several lives.”
