Sci-Fi Storm

There have been a couple of mini-series remakes in the past few years that involve a well-known source material that features a twist at the end – A&E’s Andromeda Strain in 2008, and AMC’s The Prisoner in 2009. When you have source material that is so familiar to fans and the climactic twist is so well known, how do you remake it and still make it interesting? That’s the key…and given the two I mentioned, it can be met with varying degrees of success.

A&E upcoming mini-series remake of Coma, which comes from the team of Ridley Scott and the late Tony Scott and airs next Monday and Tuesday at 9/8c, has that same task…based on the 1977 Robin Cook book that was made into a 1978 movie directed by Michael Crichton and is well known enough that those familiar with it already know what the conclusion is, it has to add not only it’s own spin on the story but on the climax.
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I head various reports from Fax Expo Canada that it was said that the Canadian SF series Continuum, a futuristic police drama starring Rachel Nichols (Criminal Minds) as a police officer from the year 2077 who finds herself in the present day while pursuing convicted terrorists who escape into the past, was picked up by Syfy UK, and that a US outlet had been signed but not announced who. Now it seems that the US outlet is indeed Syfy, picking up the 10-episode series which was also given a second season order recently.

This mirrors their pickup of Lost Girl, another Canadian production that was acquired but they didn’t announce when it would air until the second season of that show was in production, and Syfy is airing both seasons straight through.

We may get an official announcement soon – no later than the October Digital Press Event I’d guess (and hopefully I’m attending again this year).

T-5 days until “Asylum of the Daleks” airs…but you don’t have to wait to get back in the groove with Doctor Who! As planned, the BBC is releasing a 5-part mini web series online starting today to help see what life was like for Amy and Rory while the Doctor isn’t around (and a bit about the Doctor when they aren’t around…) Check out part 1 below, and check each day for another episode!
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