Sci-Fi Storm

Syfy has given a 13-episode direct-to-series order to Superstition, a supernatural genre series produced by XLrator Media and Mario Van Peebles’ newly launched TV production company MVPTV, which is set to begin production in early 2017 and air on Syfy later in the year.

XLrator Media’s Barry Gordon and MVPTV’s Mario Van Peebles will produce, and Van Peebles (Roots, Bloodline, Hand of God, Empire, Lost) will also write, direct and star in some of the episodes. Joel Anderson Thompson (Battlestar Galactica, Boomtown, House M.D.) has been tapped as showrunner and Laurence Andries (Alias, Six Feet Under, Supernatural, The Pacific) will executive produce. The dynamic writing team of Brusta Brown and John Mitchell Todd (Defiance, Mech-X4) have also boarded the series. XLrator Media holds international distribution and sales rights.

The series centers around the Mosley family, owners of the only funeral home in a fictitious town on the outskirts of New Orleans and keepers of the town’s dark secrets and history. Known for its haunted houses, elevated graveyards, odd townsfolk, and rich history of unusual phenomena, the town is also a “landing patch” for the world’s darkest manifestations of fear, guided into the world by an ancient, mysterious malefactor named The Dredge.

“Superstition is an intelligent, boundary-pushing genre series rich in supernatural lore and myths, featuring an eccentric family who have an unusual connection to an otherworldly plane, and the dark force that unleashes the demons, creatures and monsters that haunt our nightmares. There is a voracious global audience always seeking the next well-crafted genre series as evidenced by the success of American Horror Story, Stranger Things, Supernatural, True Blood, Six Feet Under and others. Superstition is being produced and created by people who love and appreciate genre content. XLrator is proud to partner with Syfy and Mario Van Peebles on our first network television series,” said XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon.

“The incredible things we used to do in independent film, we can now do in television. This is truly a golden era for exciting, provocative television.” said Mario Van Peebles.

“A town where all superstitions, myths and legends are true offers a rich cultural, atmospheric and macabre playground for Mario Van Peebles, Barry Gordon, Joel Anderson Thompson and Laurence Andries to explore. We are excited to work with this terrific team and look forward to bringing this unique story to Syfy,” said Chris Regina, Senior Vice President, Syfy Programming.

Andries is repped by UTA, and Thompson, Brown and Todd are repped by The Cartel.

It seems Doctor Who isn’t the only SF program in a festive mood this holiday season…Netflix has announced that a two-hour Christmas Special of Sense8 will debut globally on the streaming service Friday, December 23rd at 12:01am Pacific Time.

In addition, the second season will debut on Friday, May 5th, at 12:01am PT. Season 2 will pick up where Season 1 left off, with the Sensates on the run from the Whispers while learning how to come together mentally and physically to live with and protect each other.

Just watch this in all its Baby Grootiness…

The teaser for the fifth movie in the franchise, and a direct sequel to 2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, dropped during Monday Night Football last night, and like any Michael Bay feature it has lots of booms – but a very haunting soundtrack and an air of despair…