Sci-Fi Storm

HBO has given a straight-to-series order (Deadline) for a series based on author Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 best-selling novel The Time Traveler’s Wife from former Doctor Who head writer/producer Steven Moffat. The story follows a romance between Henry, a man who has a disorder that results in him randomly traveling through time, and his wife Clare who has to deal with his disappearances and the danger he is often in.

In fact, Moffat said that the Doctor Who episode “The Girl in the Fireplace” was a result of him reading the novel – and apparently Niffenegger took notice. “When, in her next novel, Audrey had a character watching that very episode, I realized she was probably on to me,” he said. “All these years later, the chance to adapt the novel itself, is a dream come true. The brave new world of long form television is now ready for this kind of depth and complexity. It’s a story of happy ever after – but not necessarily in that order.”

Moffat, Sue Vertue and Brian Minchin will executive produce for Hartswood Films in conjunction with Warner Bros Television. The novel was previously adapted into a film in 2009 starring Eric Bana and Rachael MacAdams.

It isn’t another cancellation-turned renewal, but it is a bit of a reprieve – Timeless WILL get an ending in the form of a two-part finale which will air on NBC during the holiday season.

While the creators had hoped another outlet would come along to allow the show to continue, that didn’t happen. “While we wish we could’ve made another dozen seasons of Timeless, this is the next best thing,” said Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke, the creators and executive producers. “We’re thrilled to take the Lifeboat out for one last spin and bring closure to our story. The studio, network, cast and crew are all doing this for one reason only: the fans. Because they deserve it. Because the fans made this happen and we thank them for their passion, support and helicopters.”

Stars Matt Lanter, Abigail Spencer and Malcolm Barrett took to social media…

So, are you ready to get Rufus back?!?

#Timeless
Screw this… pic.twitter.com/wfGqxUOAUN

— Matt Lanter (@MattLanter) July 31, 2018

So excited! Jokes & ☕️ come spilling out of me. 🤦🏻‍♀️. Love you #Timeless fans! Thanks to you & everyone at @Sony & @NBC for making this happen! #timeteam #clockblockers #SaveTimeless pic.twitter.com/lPmyZYRGsQ

— Abigail Spencer (@abigailspencer) July 31, 2018

You guys ready to get Rufus back or what…? We’re getting a 2-hour movie. #Timeless #SaveRufus #SaveTimeless

A post shared by Malcolm Barrett (@verbalberappin) on Jul 31, 2018 at 9:38am PDT

Stranger Things third season is officially delayed until Summer 2019, according to Cindy Holland, Vice President of original content at Netflix. But it is for good reasons.

“It’s a handcrafted show,” she said. “The Duffer brothers and Shawn Levy have worked really hard, and they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so they really want to take the time to get it right.”

In the meantime over at Amazon Studios, writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay have been tapped to develop and write Amazon’s ambitious The Lord Of The Rings series. The series is set prior to the events of The Fellowship of the Rings, but according to them, will feature familiar characters.

Payne and McKay most recently worked together on the Star Trek 4 script.

When news broke about a potential new Buffy: The Vampire Slayer series last week, there were hints/assumptions that it would be a “reboot”, which naturally for any show with a deeply devoted following began a backlash storm on the Internet.

The term reboot many times gets used where it probably shouldn’t. A “reboot” to me means you are starting over, with the same basic story idea. Like telling a new origin story. You forget any previous version exist, at least it terms of telling the story – paying homage is still OK. The new Battlestar Galactica was a reboot. In this case the only thing we knew from the original announcement is that cast will be diverse and it will be set in the present day.

However, showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen was adamant that this is not a “reboot”, but a sequel. It will feature a different cast, but is set within the same world 15 years after the original series ended and build on the mythology that is already there:

pic.twitter.com/Sdz4oKh3gM

— monicaowusubreen (@monicabreen) July 26, 2018

And if you are wondering who Owusu-Breen and worried about her taking over Joss Whedon’s series, keep heart: She’s working with Joss Whedon, who will be involved creatively and executive produce the series, but he’s a busy boy. The two have worked together previously on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but in addition to that Owusu-Breen has written for such shows as Alias, Lost, Fringe, and Charmed – which are shows that seem share the same fanbase as Buffy, thanks to similar themes and/or strong female characters. So while there is no guarantee any of your favorite Buffy characters may appear, the possibility does exist.

I’d also caution a bit on the optimism that this show is in early development, and does not yet have an outlet, or even a script. However, we have fairly high confidence this will find a good outlet.

I apologize once again for the lack of updates, especially on such a busy weekend as San Diego Comic Con. As it turns out I was pretty busy on the weekend, some of it unexpected, and was not able to keep up with all the news coming out – and shocked at some of it. However I did do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to improve the response of the web site, and I hope it is noticeable.

So please forgive me while I try to get on track again. In the meantime, here is just some of the news that came out of Comic Con and since…

One of the big news items was that shortly before he was to appear at a panel for one of his other movies, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was fired from the franchise by Disney over tweets he made nearly 10 years ago that were, frankly offensive. Gunn stated in a release afterwards that the tweets were made as “totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative,” and has regretted them ever since. He accepted the decision and responsibility for his actions then, but also said he has changed in the years since. Many of his colleagues and actors have shown great support for him and expressed shock at his firing and asked Disney to reconsider, as have much of the fan base.

That might not be so far fetched, given today’s announcement that AMC has investigated the sexual assault claims against TV personality and The Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick by his former girlfriend Chloe Dykstra last month, and decided to reinstate him.” Hardwick has been suspended after Dykstra’s claims in an article, and the network had Yvette Nicole Brown take over his SDCC panels as well as host the Season 9 preview of The Walking Dead and act as interim The Talking Dead host. She will still handle the preview special.

Speaking of The Walking Dead, the shocking announcement was that star Andrew Lincoln, the central character of the show for its entire run, will be leaving the show to spend more time back home in the UK and taking time off. He added that “No one is bigger than the story,” and the show still has a lot of life in it.

In other casting news, Supergirl added transgender actress Nicole Maines as Nia Nal, a new CatCo reporter who also is superhero Dreamer. April Parker Jones also joins as a regular playing Colonel Haley, a hardline military commander, and David Ajala will recur as Manchester Black, a ruthless vigilante-type character. Previously announced regulars were Jesse Rath returning as Braniac-5 (a.k.a Brainy), and Sam Witwer joining as Agent Liberty. Over at Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Jeff Ward (Deke Shaw) was upped to a series regular.

Syfy announced that Wynonna Earp would be renewed for a fourth season, while Freeform renewed Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger for a second season. USA however canceled Colony after its third.

Here’s a bunch of the trailers released as part of San Diego Comic Con – certainly not a complete list, so if I’ve missed them it isn’t intentional, there were just so many…

Shazam

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

(continue reading…)

Also from San Diego Comic Con, we have the full trailer for Series 11 of Doctor Who!

In what turned out to be a very surprising announcement during a low-key panel at San Diego Comic Con to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, producer Dave Filoni and guests hit everyone with a Death Star-sized announcement – Clone Wars is coming back! While we await more specific word on the fate of the franchise beyond Episode IX, we may have something to tide us over…12 new episodes will be produced and air on Disney’s upcoming direct streaming service – availability dates yet to be determined – and help close the story that was left open after five seasons and a few extra “lost episodes”.

Filoni himself didn’t think they would get to tell the rest of the story. On getting it finished, he told StarWars.com, “Personally, it’s very rewarding. Any opportunity to put the final pieces of the story in place is meaningful as a storyteller. I’m happy for the opportunity to define these things and the end of this part of the Clone War. It also makes me reflect on all the people that I got to work with over the years. It reinforces the things I learned from George. It reminds me of the important elements that go into making Star Wars. So, it’s nice on several levels, and I think for the crew that’s still here that worked on Clone Wars, they feel that, as well.”

Beyond the 12 episodes we don’t know much more yet, but we DID get a trailer, and we see a favorite character returning…

Stoking the fiery passion of fans all across the Wizarding World, SYFY and USA Network will transport viewers to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry like never before with a multi-platform exploration of all facets of the Wizarding World films.

Beginning with the simulcast of the HARRY POTTER WIZARDING WEEKEND from July 13-15, 2018, both networks become the new U.S. television homes of the entire Wizarding World franchise library in a previously announced deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution extending through April 2025. All eight Harry Potter movies – as well as the Fantastic Beasts films slated to begin in 2019, 2021 and 2023 – will air in HD with limited commercial interruption as the networks commemorate 20 years of Harry Potter fandom. The first six films will be extended director’s cut versions. Beyond the HARRY POTTER WIZARDING WEEKEND, SYFY and USA have also programmed monthly stunts including BACK TO HOGWARTS MARATHON, DARK ARTS MARATHON, WIZARDING WORLD WEEK and a special CHRISTMAS MARATHON.

SYFY and USA will be supporting the celebration as the biggest acquisition launch in both networks’ history with marketing, promotion, digital and social campaigns. In addition, special content and promotions with Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, both home to the incredibly themed lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, are now available where guests can enjoy fully immersive entertainment experiences based on the Harry Potter series. In all, the campaign will be bigger than the Quidditch World Cup itself!

“Whether they’re superfans who live and breathe Harry Potter or a new generation yet to discover the franchise, we’re giving fans of all kinds an entirely new way to experience the magic of The Wizarding World on television,” noted Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “With SYFY, we’re inviting fans to really ‘geek out’ and go deep into their passion and knowledge. And at USA, we’ll be able to fire up a bigger, broader audience with massive scale to introduce a whole new legion of fans.”

“Both networks will have a unique but complementary Wizarding World look and feel for the fans as we create moments and events throughout the year – on-air, online, off-the-screen, on social or at SYFY WIRE – that infuse a wonderful wizarding ethos into our collective creative brands,” added Alexandra Shapiro, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Digital, USA Network & SYFY. “And the biggest moments will always make sure fans are front and center.”

SYFY and USA will present a new viewing experience for fans of the films. The custom design packaged on-air and online will include IDs and bugs supported with hours of new footage delving deeper into the mythology of Harry Potter, trivia and fun facts to test even the most advanced wizard’s acumen, behind-the-scenes footage and fresh interviews with cast members and production crew dishing on their favorite moments, including:

· Eddie Redmayne (as Newt Scamander from Fantastic Beasts)

· James and Oliver Phelps (as Fred and George Weasley)

· Stanislav Ianevski (as Viktor Krum)

· Jany Temime, Costume Designer

· John Richardson, Special Events Supervisor

· Paul Harris, Wand Choreographer

· Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, Graphic Designers

Also included in the on-air campaign will be special footage, including an exclusive behind-the-scenes studio tour from Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter – and fan testimonials from San Diego Comic-Con and and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, including A Celebration of Harry Potter. Keen observers will also spot some familiar fan faces from the SYFY and USA channels.

Sorry Timeless fans, but NBC has officially passed on a third season of the show. Now, we’ve been here before, when they announced that the show was canceled after the first season but fan uproar managed to convince NBC brass to reconsider. Unfortunately this time there doesn’t appear to be any hope for a second such resuscitation with the second season ratings failing to hit targets. However, we understand that NBC and Sony have been talking about a possible 2-hour wrap-up movie – but nothing has come of it so far.

Co-creator Eric Kripke mentioned that Sony had been looking for another outlet as well, but no luck:

Gutted by this, guys, I know you are too. Behind the scenes, Sony has been trying hard to set it up elsewhere, but no luck so far. I think this 2 hour movie is our best shot. We're ready to make it if @nbc really wants it. Let 'em know how you feel. #clockblockers https://t.co/arNi9iS9GF

— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) June 22, 2018