Sci-Fi Storm

Catch the first four minutes of the second episode of Defiance right here! Then tune in tonight at 9/9c on Syfy!
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King Uther returns! This was rumored months ago when it was believed Merlin‘s Anthony Stewart Head was on the set of Warehouse 13, and fueled by a picture from star Eddie McClintock having dinner with him, fellow star Saul Rubinek, and Head’s fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum James Marsters, but it’s been confirmed – Head will appear in the final three episodes of Season “4.5”, reportedly as a villain named Paracelsus.

AMC is working with Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion) to develop Ballistic City, a futuristic series described as the “story of a former cop thrust into the criminal underworld of a city housed in a generational space ship destined for an unknown world.”

The cast and crew can dance a jig (or whatever dance the Votans do), as can the Syfy PR engine. Defiance scored a ratings win last night, scoring Syfy its highest rated scripted series premiere among total viewers since 2009, when Warehouse 13 debuted, with 2.7 million viewers, and also it’s best 18-49 debut since Eureka in 2006. Hopefully it holds pace next week!

Last night Twitter was also ablaze with talk of Defiance – it was a fun party on there, with star Grant Bowler taking over the @Syfy account to tweet with fans and answer questions, while language developer David J. Peterson explained some of the expressions – hint: “Sho huch” is a slightly dirtier version of “WTF”…from reports, Defiance outdid both Game of Thrones and Falling Skies at their premieres. It was great interacting with everyone, especially after the events earlier in the day.

Still need to fill some time before Defiance now? Warehouse 13 doesn’t return for two weeks yet, but Syfy has made the return episode, “The Living and The Dead”, available online and you can watch it right here!
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It’s a little more than an hour to Arkfall! Defiance premieres tonight at 9/8c on Syfy with the two-hour pilot…before that, get your fill of a bunch of short making-of features released today!
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One day to Arkfall!

Stars Grant Bowler and Stephanie Leonidas took the time to speak with the press to answer some more questions ahead of the debut of the show. Catch what they had to say. Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow night at 9/8c on Syfy for the two hour premiere!

And scroll all the way to the end to see the funny mock commercial by star and “teen sensation” Jesse Rath done for Spanish-language network mun2, advertising a “learn Castithan” book and CD set…what’s funny is I think David J. Peterson, who created the language, could probably make a learning series that big…
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Arkfall in 4 days…

Two new videos for you. In the first, David J. Peterson talks about creating the languages for all the Votan races. Then Julie Benz talks about taking classes in those languages on VH-1’s Big Morning Buzz…
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Syfy announced last night that it will begin production on the pilot of High Moon, an adaptation of John Christopher’s best-selling novel [asin=0020426917]The Lotus Caves[/asin]. Along with a creative team featuring Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies) and Jim Danger Gray (Pushing Daisies, Hannibal), Universal Cable Productions will serve as the studio.

Said Mark Stern, President, Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions: “In the hands of visionary Bryan Fuller and this outstanding production team, High Moon will be an imaginative, groundbreaking story featuring complex characters in a high-stakes drama. This represents our commitment to quality programming that redefines the genre and we’re excited to begin production.”

High Moon is an imaginative, out-of-this-world series exploring what happens when the countries of Earth establish colonies to mine the Moon’s resources and discover a new form of life. Chaos erupts in a genuinely emotional, humorously thrilling and always unexpected fashion as the people of the Moon race to uncover this life form’s powerful secrets. Co-executive producer/writer: Jim Danger Gray (Pushing Daisies). Executive producer/writer: Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies). The pilot is written by Gray from a story by Fuller and Gray. Executive producers: Cary Granat & Steve Granat of Reel FX and Don Murphy & Susan Montford of Angry Films (Real Steel, Transformers). Studio: UCP.

For anyone that thinks Syfy wanted out of the space-based science fiction show business, think again: At the upfronts they announced a bunch of new shows in development, and many are space-based! Here is a list with synopses (borrowed from THR), some of which we’ve talked about before. Note: These are in development (like Blake’s 7), and not all are likely to make it to series:

Orion
The space opera centers on Orion, an adventurous female relic hunter who tracks down valuable artifacts while trying to piece together her past. Set amid an intergalactic war pitting humans against a terrifying alien race, Orion must decide whether to use her abilities to save herself or commit to the cause and unearth long hidden artifacts that could free all of humanity from a horrible fate. Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes Burton (Alphas) will write and executive produce, with George Krstic and Ryuhei Kitamura on board as co-executive producers. F.J. Desanto will serve as a supervising producer on the UCP project.
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