Sci-Fi Storm

The rumors were true…Amazon Prime has struck a deal with the BBC to be the exclusive streaming provider for Doctor Who.

Starting next Sunday, March 27th, Amazon Prime subscribers (click here for a free 30-day trial) will be able to stream all eight series of the revived show and all the holiday episodes except for “The Husbands of River Song”, which will become available this Fall with Series 8.

Currently absent from streaming is any classic series episodes. Netflix generally had at least one episode from each series available at any given time. No word if this will change.

I had the fortune to chat with our friend Eddie McClintock, star of Warehouse 13, who will be making a guest appearance on Supergirl this Monday (8PM ET on CBS), and will be starring in the new USA series Shooter later this year. While drifting off on many topics, we did talk about those shows, portraying a member of the Marine Corps, working away from family, and of course, end up back at the Warehouse…

Eddie appeared last year on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the alien Vin-Tak…and now he’s entering the other side of the comic universe with the DC Comics/CBS series Supergirl, after surprising us with the announcement last week on Twitter.

Doc: You only announced it last week…

Eddie: I had to hold off on it until it was announced. I’ve been sitting on it for a couple, three months.

Doc: You had to have filmed this a while ago…they really like to keep guest stars under wraps.

Eddie: I really learned that lesson on S.H.I.E.L.D.. When you work on S.H.I.E.L.D., when you show up to the set you don’t even say, “I’m here to work on S.H.I.E.L.D.,” you say, “I’m here to work on…” and some weird name. And S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t even on any of the scripts.

Doc: They like to keep the surprises…on Supergirl you are playing a Marine Colonel…that must have been cool.

Eddie: It is…it’s cool to be able to…it was important for me to be able to make sure my uniform was correct. There’s a scene where I’m in my digital camos, and I wanted to roll up my sleeves because it was hot when we were shooting, so I texted some of my buddies who are in the Marines and I was like, “Where does my sleeves have to be?” and they were, “It has to be one inch above the elbow.” So I made sure that my sleeves were proper. It’s important for me to show respect for the Corps. I mean, there are worse things than to be hired to represent a member of the military. If I have a chance to talk about it, talk about the veterans and veterans organizations, I’m OK with that.
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This awesome teaser for the season finale of Star Wars Rebels looks back on the story of Ahsoka Tano and her former master Anakin Skywalker – leading up to a confrontation that is likely to be both epic and tragic.

The one hour long season finale airs March 30th at 9PM ET/PT on Disney XD.

Sylvia Anderson, who was the voice of Lady Penelope and co-creator with her husband (at the time) Gerry Anderson on Thunderbirds, passed away after a brief illness at home at the age of 88.

Describing her as “a mother and a legend”, daughter Dee Anderson said, “Her intelligence was phenomenal but her creativity and tenacity unchallenged. She was a force in every way.”

She worked for years with Gerry on the various supermarionation shows they were famous for as a writer and producer, but also on live action productions such as UFO and Space: 1999, including designing the “future 1980s” fashion in the former.

For Space: 1999, she was on record as against the casting of American lead actors, but was overruled by Sir Lew Grade, then head of ITC Entertainment, as they wanted to insure an American TV market. She capitulated, but threw her vote for Robert Culp (I Spy) and Katharine Ross (The Graduate) – instead her husband went with then-hot husband and wife team of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. It was between the first and second seasons of the show that the Anderson’s separated and later divorced.

I’ve mentioned before that the Andersons were among the architects of my childhood, having grown up with Thunderbirds and Space: 1999. Their influence has been great, and will be greatly missed.

It seems like we are still slowly moving forward to seeing Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars (we’ve been following it for about 15 years, since I started the site!), but step-by-step it goes, naming Emmy-winning Greg Yaitanes (House, Banshee) as director for the series from Skydance TV for Starz.

Peter Noah, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, Brett Conrad. J. Michael Straczynski and Vince Gerardis are all executive producers, with Straczynski serving as showrunner and also writing.

Production is expected to start this summer, with it to begin airing in 2017.

The Tick is coming back! Well, maybe…it’s only a pilot order, but we can all hope for the big man in blue to make a full series return! Deadline reports that Amazon has given the go ahead, with creator Ben Edlund writing and executive producing alongside original exec Barry Josephson.

But if you were hoping for the return of Patrick Warburton, I’m afraid he won’t be returning, at least not as the star. He’s currently committed to the NBC comedy Crowded, but apparently he may executive produce as well. They are currently casting for a new lead, but two parts have been cast: his sidekick Arthur will be played by Griffin Newman (Vinyl), while Valorie Curry (The Following) will play his sister, Dot.

The new show will follow some time after the original 9-episode Fox series, with the Tick having suffered from memory loss, but re-teams with Arthur, who has been branded a schizophrenic, to fight the evil Arthur has been insisting is trying to take over the city.

Syfy and The Asylum announced today that Ian Ziering will slay again in Sharknado 4 (working title), reprising his role as shark-fighting hero Fin Shepard, while Tara Reid is set to return as April Wexler to reveal the outcome of the fan-voted #AprilLives or #AprilDies social campaign. The fourth addition to the hit global franchise also sees the return of David Hasselhoff as Gil Shepard and Ryan Newman as Claudia Shepard.

Set to premiere on Syfy this July, Sharknado 4 (WT) will take place five years after the East Coast was ravaged in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!. Fin, his family and the cosmos have been blissfully sharknado-free in the intervening years, but now sharks – and ‘nados! – are being whipped up in places (and ways) least expected…

Sharknado 4 (WT) will also star:

• Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon, Celebrity Apprentice), as Wilford Wexler, April’s father and a lead scientist at Astro-X. He’s at the forefront of advances in the field of robotics.
• Tommy Davidson (Black Dynamite, In Living Color), as Aston Reynolds, playboy tech billionaire. Aston is the CEO of tech company Astro-X, developers of a revolutionary energy system that can stabilize the atmosphere and prevent the formation of tornadoes.
• Imani Hakim (Everybody Hates Chris), as Gabrielle, Matt’s best friend and a fellow soldier. Gabrielle is tough and no-nonsense, can take care of herself and isn’t afraid to show what she’s capable of doing.
• Cody Linley (Hannah Montana, Melissa & Joey), as Matt, Fin and April’s eldest son. After surviving the first Sharknado, Matt finished flight school and joined the Army. He’s experienced the events of the last six years from afar and longs to reunite with his American Hero father.
• Masiela Lusha (George Lopez), as Gemini, Fin’s cousin. Ever resourceful, Gemini is chock full of shark-busting attitude and is ready to dive into the fight once the sharks hit the fan.
• Cheryl Tiegs (The Apprentice), as Raye, Fin’s mother and Col. Gil Shepard’s ex-wife. Raye is a little bit of a former flower child, but not afraid to speak her mind or protect her family.

Currently filming, Sharknado 4 (WT) will include a plethora of additional outrageous and surprising cameos to be announced soon. Stay tuned…

Sharknado 4 (WT) is a production of The Asylum. Anthony C. Ferrante returns to direct an original screenplay written by Thunder Levin.

Genesis Rodriguez (Big Hero 6, Identity Thief) has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming Starz series pilot Time After Time. Rodriguez will play Jane Walker, the museum curator who catches H.G. Wells’ eye in modern-day New York City. Wells is being played by Freddie Stroma.

Syfy has acquired the Canadian 13-episode post-apocalyptic thriller Aftermath from Halfire Entertainment. Casting is currently underway with production expected to start in Vancouver in May for a summer premiere on Syfy in the U.S. and Space in Canada.

The show centers on couple Karen and Joshua Copeland, and their children Dana, Brianna and Matt, who must battle for survival after civilization comes to an apocalyptic end, triggered by massive storms, meteor strikes, earthquakes and plague – and the rise of supernatural creatures.

Julie Sarah Stone (The Killing) and Levi Meaden (The Killing, Olympus), and Taylor Hickson (Deadpool) play the three Copeland children.

The series was created by William Laurin (Missing) and Glenn Davis (Once a Thief), who will executive produce along with Julie Hope. Jason Stone (This is the End) is directing the first two episodes.

Two industry passings were sadly reported this weekend.

Tony Dyson, who referred to himself as “R2-D2’s Dad”, passed away at the age of 68. While working at his own studio, the White Horse Toy Company, he was commissioned by George Lucas to turn Ralph McQuarrie’s sketches of a plug-shaped mechanical character into an astromech that would become the most loved droid in two galaxies.

On his web site Dyson wrote about the return of R2-D2 in Episode VII, “The love for R2 is universal; no other Star Wars character has been loved over the years the way R2-D2 has, his merchandising has rocketed over the years and his influence in the world of robotics is truly remarkable.”

Emmy-winning visual effect artist Gary Hutzel, who’s career shot starward when he helped define the look of Star Trek: The Next Generation including the infamous Borg Cube, as well as the U.S.S. Defiant design for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, passed away on Thursday at the age of 60.

Hutzel later worked in movies, including Red Planet and Spy Kids, but would return to television for Ronald D. Moore’s reboot of Battlestar Galactica, where he won two of his Emmys.