Sci-Fi Storm

Syfy today announced that it has renewed critically-acclaimed original series 12 Monkeys for a fourth and final chapter ahead of its Season 3 premiere. The network also announced that the series’ entire 10-episode third season will premiere over three consecutive nights, from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21 from 8-11PM ET/PT. The first four episodes will premiere on Friday, with three episodes airing each night on both Saturday and Sunday.

Produced by Universal Cable Productions in association with Atlas Entertainment, the beloved drama, developed by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett (Nikita), is based on the 1995 Golden Globe® award-winning film of the same name. Said co-developer, showrunner and executive producer Matalas: “Universal Cable Productions and Syfy have given us the opportunity to tell an ambitious, emotional story with a beginning, middle and an end – if not always in that order. I couldn’t be more grateful for their faith and support. Like our fans who may want to turn their clocks ahead to see what we’ve got in store, I only wish I could turn mine back to relive this incredible experience over again.”

“12 Monkeys has a dedicated and enthusiastic fan-base thanks to the epic storytelling by Terry Matalas, and the stellar cast and crew,” said Jeff Wachtel, President, Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “We are thrilled to be able to offer fans an opportunity to binge the third season as a reward for their lasting support, and we couldn’t be more excited to see where Terry takes us with the final chapter of this fabulous story in the fourth season.”

“With its time-twisting themes and edge-of-your-seat storyline, 12 Monkeys is the perfect show to air this way,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “It’s grown into a world well beyond the original film, and after seeing the creative strength of Season 3, we couldn’t wait to pick it up for a fourth season.”

Upon its premiere in May, Season 3 will continue the journey of James Cole (Aaron Stanford), a man sent back in time to eradicate the source of a deadly plague, and his partner, brilliant virologist Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull). While attempting to untangle an insidious conspiracy that’s been spun throughout centuries, the duo embark on a desperate search across time to find the man responsible for the apocalypse – a time traveler who calls himself the Witness. Killing the Witness will save the world, but the journey will come at tremendous personal stakes for the pair. 12 Monkeys also stars Kirk Acevedo (Ramse), Emily Hampshire (Jennifer Goines), Barbara Sukowa (Katarina Jones) and Todd Stashwick (Deacon).

Joining the cast as recurring guest stars in Season 3 are Hannah Waddingham (Game of Thrones), Faran Tahir (Iron Man) and James Callis (Battlestar Galactica). Emmy® award-winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) is set to appear in a memorable guest-starring role as a deadly cult leader with sinister motives.

Matalas, who also has an overall deal with UCP, will make his directorial debut with the Season 3 premiere episode. Original film producer Charles Roven (Suicide Squad, The Dark Knight Trilogy) and Richard Suckle (Suicide Squad, American Hustle) of Atlas Entertainment, as well as David Grossman (Desperate Housewives, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), serve as executive producers.

Syfy today announced a Season 3 pickup of The Expanse, the drama series called the “best sci-fi show on TV” by io9 and recognized for “transforming TV” by Wired. The 13-episode third season will premiere on Syfy in 2018. From Alcon Television Group, The Expanse is currently airing new Season 2 episodes every Wednesday at 10/9c on Syfy.

“The Expanse is a gorgeous, thrilling, emotional series that has quite simply raised the bar for science fiction on television,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “We, along with the fans, are looking forward to continuing the journey with our partners at Alcon Television Group and the series’ brilliant cast and crew.”

The Expanse unfolds across a colonized galaxy 200 years in the future, when two strangers become unwittingly swept up in a vast conspiracy. Based on the New York Times bestselling book series collectively known as “The Expanse,” written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S. A. Corey), The Expanse stars Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dominique Tipper, Cas Anvar, Wes Chatham and Frankie Adams.

Academy Award®-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man) serve as executive producers and showrunners, alongside Naren Shankar (CSI, Farscape).

The Expanse is financed and produced by Alcon Television Group (ATG), a division of Alcon Entertainment.

I think I spied a classic – and I mean classic – Cyberman in there…coming April 15th!

Just some catch-up stuff before the weekend…

The CW has completed their full house of returning shows, ordering a fifth season of The 100, so all its returning scripted shows that weren’t previously announced as ending have received early renewals for an additional season. Among it’s freshman series, however, the story is less rosy – Riverdale did get a second season, but No Tomorrow and Frequency seem unlikely.

Also, on the less rosy side, remember that little heard of movie Avatar? And the multiple sequels that were supposed to be out by now? Well, they are delayed again. Although James Cameron now says there are no less than FOUR sequels planned, Avatar 2 isn’t even going to make it’s latest planned date of December 2018. Cameron told the Toronto Star, “2018 is not happening,” mainly because they are making four movies, not one. But, “We’re full tilt boogie right now. This is my day job and pretty soon we’ll be 24-7.” I think it is safe to say Cameron is all-in on this, and it will be released when it is ready.

Lastly, we’ll be back in Westoros on July 16th…HBO finally announced that Season 7 will start on that date. If you are like me and HBO is the only channel you don’t get, expect a Season 6 marathon that weekend with a free preview… 🙂

The Starship Discovery has found its captain…Jason Isaacs, who recently appeared in the Netflix thriller series The OA and played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, will play Captain Lorca in the upcoming CBS All Access series, which began production a month ago. Although he is the captain, the series will focus on his “Number One” played by Sonequa Martin-Green.

CBS President Les Moonves is hopeful that the series will debut on the broadcast network this Fall, with it continuing on the streaming network afterwards.

To no one’s surprise, Disney XD has ordered up another season of adventures of the crew of the Ghost in Star Wars Rebels. The next season will air in the Fall, and production is already underway.

Set between the events of Episodes III and IV, the show follows the crew of the Ghost who have been fighting against the growing Empire. Season 3 saw increasing tie-ins to the live action movies, such as the appearance of a younger Saw Gerrera from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and a cameo appearance of the Ghost itself in that movie.

My top question still remains though…does Ahsoka live?

It’s pilot happy season, and there have been some casting announcements:

Syfy has added Patrick Fischler (Lost, Once Upon A Time), Zabryna Guevara (Gotham, The Get Down) and Ritchie Coster (The Dark Knight, Blackhat) to the pilot for Happy!, based on the graphic novel from Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. The show follows Nick Sax (Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU), an intoxicated, corrupt ex-cop turned hit man, who is adrift in a world of casual murder, soulless sex and betrayal. After a hit gone wrong, his inebriated life is forever changed by a tiny, relentlessly positive, imaginary blue winged horse.

Fischler will play Smoothie, a well-dressed mob enforcer and sardonic soulless torturer who claims to take a ‘New Age’ approach to his work.

Guevara is playing Amanda Hansen, a single mom facing every mother’s worst nightmare; the disappearance of her young daughter.

Coster is Mr. Blue/Leonardo Scaramucci, the lead villain whose wealth and status as a legitimate businessman in the wine import trade support an increasingly profitable and highly illegal sideline.

In another Marvel pilot, but for Fox, one of our favorites, Amy Acker, fresh off the final season of Person of Interest, will star in the unnamed X-Men-based show written by Matt Nix (Burn Notice) and directed by Bryan Singer. The show focuses on a family of human parents with mutant children, on the run from a mutant-hostile government. Acker will play mother Kate, who is struggling to deal with her separation from her husband Reed (Stephen Moyer, True Blood) and her increasingly challenging teenage children.
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Syfy has canceled the Matt Damon/Ben Affleck produced Incorporated after just a single season. The hyped-up show failed to get hyped up ratings, averaging well below Syfy’s other flagship shows. Syfy is lining up pilots with four given green lights so far along with Superstition, which was given a straight-to-series order.

On the opposite side, CBS’ Les Moonves is very confident that the twice delayed Star Trek: Discovery will be ready to debut in early Fall and perhaps late Summer – and he understands the importance of the show to the network.Star Trek is the family jewels,” Moonves says. “We’re not going to rush it in. There’s a lot of post production. But I’m very confident based on what I’ve seen so far.”

Star Trek: Discovery was most recently delayed from a May release last month, given they hadn’t actually started filming yet. Filming started shortly after that announcement, so a Fall debut seems more realistic.

Get to know Bill, the Doctor’s new companion, played by Pearl Mackie…she’ll meet the Doctor on April 15th at 9/8c on BBC America, followed by the spinoff Class.

Breaking news – a family representative has released a statement that actor Bill Paxton passed away due to complications after surgery. He was 61.

It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery,” the statement said.

“A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family’s wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father.”

Bill starred in so many things where he made the role so memorable. The earliest I recall was Weird Science, where he played older brother Chet who would antagonize Wyatt to the point that he was turned into a giant talking turd by Lisa. Just a year later came the role that would make me look forward to anything else he did, as Private Hudson in Aliens, for which he won a Saturn award. While these roles seemed to point him towards playing the “lovable dumb guy”, he broke that by getting much more scientific as astronaut Fred Haise in Apollo 13 (co-winner of a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance of a Cast), storm chaser Bill Harding in Twister, and treasure hunter/deep sea explorer Brock Lovett in Titanic. My kids even remember him from the role of “Dinky Winks” in Spy Kids 2.

More recently he had a recurring guest role on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and was currently appearing on the CBS cop show Training Day.