Sci-Fi Storm

Heroes star Milo Ventmiglia’s Agility Studios is setting up to produce a web series called Ultradome, which (tongue-in-cheek) looks to settle some of the greatest (geeky) debates of the Internet generation, like “Who would win a fight: Gandalf or Darth Vader?” But what about the classic argument – “Enterprise or Star Destroyer?”

Each episode of Ultradome begins with two characters engaged in a heated and humorous pop culture debate, such as “Should I have a Lord of the Rings- or a Star Wars-themed wedding?,” or “Could Harry Potter beat Neo in a fight?” Reaching a fever-pitched stalemate, the characters find themselves transported to the Ultradome – a packed stadium where the two engage in single combat, using weaponry, gear and skills from the pop culture touchstones referenced in the argument. Nothing is off limits inside the Ultradome – and creative and casting possibilities are endless, as Ventimiglia and Agility plan to use connections to sci-fi enthusiast actors, writers and directors to build a bevy of high-profile cameos and cinematic visual effects.

Known for his many leading roles on television and in film, Ventimiglia (Heroes, Gilmore Girls, Rocky Balboa) produced and stars in the pilot episode, “Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings,” and will direct select future episodes in the series. He co-created the Ultradome format with partner Russ Cundiff and Agility executives Keith Quinn and Zev Suissa. The pilot was written by Mike Alber and Gabriel Snyder, and directed by Nathan Matsuda.

“My whole life has been spent engaged with friends in intellectual debate . like whether Kirk is tougher than Spock or if Middle Earth is a more difficult place to live than Tatooine. With Ultradome, we can bring these debates to the public and settle them in the most logical way possible: through armed combat,” said Ventimiglia. “We’re very excited to be working with Agility on this series and to tap into their expertise in digital programming.”

“Ultradome is an action-comedy format that will appeal to a mainstream pop-culture audience,” said Keith Quinn, Agility’s Chief Creative Officer. “We know the challenges independent producers face, splitting their focus between creative efforts, distribution and management, and know the partnership between Agility and DiVide will give Ultradome the benefit of our collective strengths in creative development, production, distribution, and monetization of ground-breaking short-form formats launched in digital media.”

The Ultradome pilot episode, “Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings,” is currently in post-production, and additional episodes are slated to follow.