Sci-Fi Storm

Syfy’s newest original scripted series Helix from Sony Pictures Television began production this past weekend in Montreal, Canada. The 13-episode drama is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander), Steven Maeda (Lost, The X-Files) who is also showrunner, and Lynda Obst (Sleepless in Seattle, Contact). Cameron Porsandeh, who wrote the pilot, will serve as a Co-Executive Producer.

Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travel to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that may hold the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation. However, the lethal threat is just the tip of the iceberg, and as the virus evolves, the chilling truth begins to unravel.

Billy Campbell (The Killing, Killing Lincoln) stars as Dr. Alan Farragut, leader of the Centers for Disease Control outbreak field team called upon to investigate and control a potential “hot zone” at a remote Arctic research facility. Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, 47 Ronin) also stars as Dr. Hiroshi Hataki, director of the outpost and its mysterious viral research program.

Helix also stars Kyra Zagorsky (Soldiers of the Apocalypse) as Dr. Julia Walker, Mark Ghanimé (Emily Owens, M.D.) as Major Sergio Balleseros, Jordan Hayes (House at the End of the Street) as Dr. Sarah Jordan, Meegwun Fairbrother as Daniel Aerov, Catherine Lemieux (White House Down) as Dr. Doreen Boyle and Neil Napier (Riddick) as Dr. Peter Farragut.

Prolific director and producer Jeffrey Reiner is directing the premiere episode of Helix. Reiner directed multiple episodes of notable television series such as the critically acclaimed and award-winning Friday Night Lights, Awake and The Event. Reiner previously worked with Syfy directing the 90-minute pilot of the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica.

Helix is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Kaji Productions and Lynda Obst Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television.

Not only is the CW planning to expand its superhero series by adding The Flash, but they plan on doing it by introducing the character in three episodes of Arrow next season.

At the Television Critics Association presentation, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, Arrow‘s co-creators, and writer Geoff Johns told the audience that they will co-write episodes 8, 9 and 20 which will introduce Barry Allen, who becomes The Flash, before spinning him to his own series. And he won’t have any super powers…yet. “The character will be as grounded and realistic as possible,” according to Kriesberg. “That’s how we’ll get to know him. Then his life will get a bit faster.”

David Nutter, who directed the Arrow pilot, will direct episode 20.

More videos from Comic-Con – highlights from the Defiance panel…

#StahmasBathBeads:

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Even though I didn’t make it to Comic-Con (again 🙁 ), I do have some videos excerpts of the panels. Some are a bit hard to here though…

First up is the Being Human panel…the show will return in January, and here is a synopsis of where it stands:

At the end of Season Three, after one hell of a honeymoon, Josh and Nora return home only to be attacked by Aidan’s son, Kenny. With tensions high at home, Aidan lets Kenny loose in the woods, as he can’t bring himself to kill his son like the rest of the abominations were. With his son freed, and his girlfriend Kat compelled into blissful ignorance, Aidan feels relief. Unbeknownst to him, however, a familiar face has also appeared in town—one that strongly resembles his long-dead wife.

Meanwhile, Josh grew fonder of his wolf, so much so that after the last full moon, Nora returns to human form only to find that Josh has been left a wolf—one that attacks her! Sally is now a ghost again after seemingly defeating the witch, Donna. But the witch won’t let that stand—so she drags Sally into a cavernous hole destroying her death spot.

Check out the four videos below from the funny panel, featuring Executive Producer Anna Fricke, Kristen Hager, Sam Huntington, Meaghan Rath & Sam Witwer.
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It seems that two things that people thought would never happen are happening…first, Harvey Weinstein is going to work with Disney again. Harvey and his brother Bob sold their Miramax Films to Disney in 1993, but continued running the studio until 2005, when they had a very public split with Disney and formed The Weinstein Company. But now it appears that a film that’s been on the backburner at Miramax for over a decade has resulted in both sides putting aside the past, with the hopes of finally producing a film based on author Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series.

The books are about an extremely intelligent and rich Irish criminal mastermind, Artemis Fowl II – who happens to be just 12 years old, descended from a long line of criminal masterminds. With his mother suffering from a nervous breakdown, he’s determined to find his missing father, and will stop and nothing…even if it means revealing and potentially destroying the world of the fairies, who have moved underground.

“If you would have told me five years ago I would be producing a project with Disney I would have thought you were crazy,” Weinstein, Co-Chairman of The Weinstein Company, said. “I feel as though everything is coming full circle considering Bob DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal brought me this book while I was still at Miramax and within hours I told them I wanted the rights to the film.

“This is a special project for me because my children absolutely love this book. This story is for everyone and there is no one better than Disney to make a film that will excite people young and old.”

DeNiro and Rosenthal will executive produce the project. Michael Goldenberg, who adapted Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, is tapped to adapt the books. Many consider the character of Artemis Fowl to be the “Anti-Harry Potter”.

CBS has already given a second season order for the Stephen King summer series Under The Dome, announced today at their Television Critics Association presentation. Stephen King himself will pen the second season premiere episode.

The show premiered to a 4.6 Live+7 rating in the 18-49 demos and has been relatively stable since. It also shows on [asin=B00DAHSY58]Amazon[/asin] only 4 days after the network premiere, free to Amazon Prime subscribers (not a subscriber? Try a 30-day free trial.)

Just announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe – the next Star Wars Celebration (presumably Celebration VII – connection?) will return to California, and take place April 16th-19th, 2015 in Anaheim.

The previous two Celebrations were held in Orlando, Florida. Celebration IV was held in Los Angeles in 2007.

Syfy has decided to postpone the regular Saturday schedule today to offer up a marathon of shark attack movies, culminating in another encore presentation of the social media feeding frenzy movie, Sharknado.

This means tonight’s scheduled new episodes of Sinbad and Primeval: New World are preempted. Instead, Sinbad will return on August 3rd with the final five episodes being shown in a marathon starting at 6/5c. Then Primeval: New World will do the same the following Saturday, August 10th, starting at 5/4c with the final 6 episodes.

Unfortunately, with Syfy “burning off” the remaining episodes in this fashion, I think what little hope fans had that Syfy would take up the primary production costs for a new season has now been dashed…

BREAKING: Kathleen Kennedy, the head of Disney’s Lucasfilm division, has announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe that maestro John Williams will return to score Star Wars Episode VII, as he has done for the previous six films…the following interview video was released with the announcement:

In the next episode of Primeval: New World, a Pachycephalosaurus shows up in the city, while Evan comes face-to-face with the Albertosaurus that killed his wife. Check out the sneak peek below, then tune in Saturday at 10/9c on Syfy! Plus, catch a special interview with actress Miranda Frigon who plays Ange Finch takes us behind the scenes for episode seven.

[PROGRAMMING ALERT: This episode has been preempted]
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