Syfy acquires 4th series of Merlin; new reality show Monster Man
by Doc on Jul.18, 2011, under Television
[Apologies for the lack of news…if you saw on Twitter, I was having hardware problems…]
Syfy has announced that they have picked up the 4th series of the British fantasy show Merlin, to be aired at a future date in 2012. In its third season on Syfy, Merlin averaged 1.93 million total viewers, marking an increase of 12 percent in total viewers compared to season two. Merlin also posted gains in the key younger demo, rising seven percent among Adults 18-34.
The epic fourth season will see Camelot on the brink of a Golden Age as the familiar blend of magic, mystery and action adventure returns. With Morgana now a dangerous outcast, Merlin must use all his power to ensure Arthur fulfills his destiny as the Once and Future King.
Colin Morgan will return as Merlin alongside Bradley James as Prince Arthur and Angel Coulby as Gwen while Katie McGrath is set to reveal the true depths of Morgana’s character. Broken after Morgana’s betrayal, Anthony Head also reprises his role as King Uther and Richard Wilson continues to support and advise Merlin as Gaius.
New to the fourth season is Nathaniel Parker (Stardust, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) as Agravaine. Other guest stars already confirmed for season four include Gemma Jones (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Bridget Jones) as the mysterious Cailleach and Phil Davis (Sherlock, Alien 3) as ‘The Gleeman’, an old world Circus-master with a dark and sinister secret.
Legendary actor John Hurt continues to provide the Voice of the Great Dragon.
Adding to their original reality programming, Syfy’s Mark Stern, President of Original Content, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions, announced they have given a green light to Monster Man, a docuseries about a quirky Hollywood creature-making family.
Six one-hour episodes have been ordered from Gurney Productions, the team behind Syfy’s exciting new series Haunted Collector.
Monster Man goes behind the scenes of one of Hollywood’s most respected monster prop building workshops. For more than thirty years, when studios want a bizarre creature or out-of-this world alien, they’ve turned to Cleve Hall and his very unique family business. Only the horrifying monsters they build match the craziness of this highly dysfunctional, extremely talented family.
“We are entering the creative world of a very eccentric, artistic family,” said Mark Stern. “Cleve and his team will give our viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring monster props, puppets and costume pieces to life. But they’re also a family business, so the unusual dynamic between them is half the fun.”
Cleve Hall has been in the prop design game since he was a teenager. Monsters are his specialty, which fits the personality of a man who dresses in all black and drives a hearse. Hall has created masterpieces for countless B-movies and big budget flicks for Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, Warner Bros and Disney, including favorites Ed Wood and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Hall has also lent his talent to numerous television programs including Yo Gabba Gabba, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Additionally, he has worked with rock bands including KISS, creating Gene Simmons’ Demon Armor, as well as Insane Clown Posse, Alice Cooper, Tenacious D and DEVO.
Monster Man follows Cleve Hall, his daughters Constance and Elora Hall, his ex-wife Sonja Maddox-Hall, best friends Roy Knyrim and Johnny Saiko, as well as office manager Cindy Miller. Executive Producers are Scott Gurney and Deirdre Gurney for Gurney Productions.
Production on Monster Man is slated to begin shooting in Los Angeles in July 2011 with an anticipated January 2012 debut.