Sci-Fi Storm

Almost forgot to post this! On tonight’s Merlin, Merlin tries to persuade Arthur to have mercy on one of his foes. Tune in at 10/9c on Syfy! Also catch Colin Morgan’s recap of last week’s episode, “The Death Song of Uther Pendragon”
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Amazon appears to be working deals right now for several pilots to turn into series for its streaming video service, but there is apparently one series they are talking about going straight to series – Zombieland, which was a movie in 2009.

What is interesting is that it was originally envisioned as a TV series as early as 2005, developed for CBS. CBS passed on it as did Syfy, so it was redeveloped into a movie starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse “I’m not Zuckerberg” Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin and is known for providing all the rules you need for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse (remember, Double Tap!) Most recently, Fox was interested in it as a half-hour comedy.

Sony Picture TV is the studio, and original writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are on board to write and co-executive produce, and original producer Gavin Polone would executive produce.

Update 1/26: Disney confirmed the news late last night.

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller,” Goerge Lucas said. “He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Previously: An official press release has not come out yet, but pretty much every news outlet is reporting that it is pretty much a “done deal” that J.J. Abrams, currently in charge of Paramount’s rebooted Star Trek movie franchise, will direct at least one episode of the Disney-revived Star Wars franchise. J.J. has reportedly signed (or is about to) to direct Episode VII, the first movie up and currently being written by Michael Arndt.

I’m surprised that either side would have wanted one person delving into both of the top science fiction saga franchises there are, but still I like the idea. Not as much as a “Joss Whedon is my master now” Episode VII, mind you…but Disney is planning plenty more.

Update: Roberto Orci appears to confirm the story on Twitter:

“@naddycat: @boborci Any chance you can confirm/deny about Mr Abrams directing Star Wars? So far just a lot of “sources say”…” True!

— roberto orci (@boborci) January 25, 2013

There are some questions as to what this means for the Star Trek franchise, especially since Paramount has historically not liked to share their talent. It remains to be seen, but Star Trek: Into Darkness might be the last one that involves Abrams.

It seems like Arrow is grabbing some more Doctor Who actors…John Barrowman already has a recurring part, but now Alex Kingston, who has played River Song for several series, has reportedly signed for a recurring role on the CW series. She is set to play Dinah Lance, the ex-wife of Detective Quentin Lance and mother to Laurel, who returns after abandoning her family when her other daughter died about the Queen’s yacht.

What is interesting is that in the comics, Dinah Drake (not Lance) was the original Black Canary, and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance, who went by her middle name, succeeded her as the Black Canary…but we don’t know if that is where the story will head…

CBS has announced that actors Natalie Martinez (CSI: NY) and newcomer Alex Koch have been signed to star in the 13-episode straight-to-series Under The Dome, which is being produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and is based on a novel by Stephen King.

The series, set to air this summer, is about a small New England town that suddenly finds itself cut off from the rest of the world by a dome, and must learn to survive in post-apocalyptic conditions while trying to discover where they dome came from, and why.

The BBC has announced today that Doctor Who will return with the second half of Series 7 to BBC One on Saturday, March 30th! The first of 8 episodes is written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Colm McCarthy (Hustle, Spooks).

If things hold true, it should return in the U.S. on BBC America the same day.

Update: BBC America DID confirm that it will return the same day.

Watch the complete pilot of NBC’s Revolution, including commentary from writer/producer Eric Kripke and executive producer/director Jon Favreau, right here!

Then catch the preview for the second half of the season, which starts March 25th!
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In tonight’s new Lost Girl, Bo must venture underground after Kenzi fears one of her friends is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Dyson’s new partner looks like trouble for Bo. Tune in at 10/9c on Syfy.
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The latest rumor, which has been making the rounds for a couple weeks but is picking up steam, is that the 50th Anniversary Special for Doctor Who will in fact not only include all the living Doctors – including Christopher Eccleston, who has vehemently denied he will ever have anything to do with Doctor Who any more – but all three of the deceased actors, William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee, through flashback sequences and possibly some creative trickery.

The Birmingham Mail is reporting that showrunner Steven Moffat is close to completing the script to feature all eleven Doctors. However, Moffat won’t confirm anything, and if anyone else is already signed on, they are sworn to a level of secrecy that I believe involves being sent back to the hellish version of Gallifrey in the time lock, forever fighting the Time War. Many signs do at least point to David Tennant being involved.

History would dictate that the episode will be called “The Eleven Doctors”, given the three times in the past that multiple Doctors have been involved in a single episode that didn’t involved regeneration: “The Three Doctors” for the 10th anniversary in 1972/1973, “The Five Doctors” for the 20th anniversary in 1983, and “The Two Doctors” in 1985. I’m not counting the “Timecrash” mini-episode which was a Children In Need special featuring David Tennant and Peter Davison.

But who knows what David Moffat has in store…

In case you haven’t noticed, the vampire known as Aidan Waite, who’s spent 18 months buried alive until last week, has taken over the official Being Human Facebook page, and now he’s taken over supplying me with previews for the show…here is what he has to say about Monday’s episode, “(Dead) Girls Just Want to Have Fun”:

Hey there–

I’m still trying to get caught up here.

So, Sally’s back… and Josh isn’t a wolf anymore? It seems like a lot happened while I was six feet under. Watch that sneak peek into Monday’s episode—hopefully that help answer some questions. You know, I’m not one to preach, but it seems like Sally might be getting herself into trouble…

There are also a few promo clips below. I’m told that if you download Syfy Sync, and use it while watching on Monday night, you can unlock exclusive content. You’ll also find that I threw you a couple of fun clips with bloopers and a little interview with Nora.

And don’t forget to tweet #BeingHuman or like our posts if you want to see the first four mins of the show before it airs.

Here is a short preview, and tune in to see what’s up with Sally, and the other surprises Aidan needs to deal with…
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