Sci-Fi Storm

Ascension, Syfy’s upcoming event series, will air on three consecutive nights in December, starting on Monday, December 15th, at 9/8c.

Created and written by executive producer and showrunner Philip Levens (Smallville), Ascension is an ambitious original drama following a covert U.S. space mission launched in the 1960’s that sent hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Half way into their journey, as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

The series stars Brandon P. Bell (Hollywood Heights) as the confident and capable First Officer Aaron Gault, Brian Van Holt (Cougar Town, The Bridge) as the eponymous ship’s Captain William Denninger, and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Viondra Denninger, the captain’s beautiful, manipulative and dangerous wife (who also serves as the ship’s Chief Steward).

Joining Bell, Van Holt and Helfer are Tiffany Lonsdale as Chief Astronomer Emily Vanderhaus, Andrea Roth as the ship’s head doctor Juliet Bryce, Jacqueline Byers as her daughter, Nora Bryce, and P.J. Boudousqué as Nora’s love interest, James Toback.

Ascension is produced by Lionsgate Television and Sea to Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum (Stranded, The River, film franchises Paranormal Activity and The Purge) is an executive producer on the project along with Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock on behalf of Sea to Sky Studios. The event series will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television.

Starting November 24th, Syfy’s Ascension is a six-hour limited series event in the vein of past Syfy mini-series such as Taken, Alice, Tin Man and Battlestar Galactica.

In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Tricia Helfer – known and loved by million as Cylon Number Six in Battlestar Galactica – is part of the cast. She will play Viondra Denniger, a beautiful, manipulative and dangerous power broker on the Ascension.

Brian Van Holt – star of Cougar Town and The Bridge – will play William Denninger, captain of the ship and Viondra’s husband. A natural leader, William quickly rose through the ranks after playing a heroic role in a fire early in the spacecraft’s voyage. While his professional life is solid, William’s marriage to Viondra is anything but.

Andrea Roth, star of Rescue Me, will play Juliet Bryce, head doctor of the Ascension. Her relationship with her daughter, Nora (played by Jacqueline Byers) is difficult and strained. Nora, for her part, is a young woman under intense pressure to follow in the family’s footsteps of being a doctor despite her own dreams.

Rounding out the cast are Brandon P. Bell as First Officer Oren Gault, who was born on the lower decks of the ship to maintenance workers and must investigate the aforementioned murder; Tiffany Lonsdale as Chief Astronomer Emily Vanderhaus, the older sister of the murder victim; and PJ Boudousque (Pretty Little Liars) as one of the ship’s maintenance workers.

Ascension is created and written by Philip Levens (Smallville), who will also serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner.

A couple more quick items from Syfy…Wendy Crewson (The Santa Clause trilogy) will join the upcoming event series Ascension as Martha Warren, Harris Enzmann’s (played by The Shawshank Redemption‘s Gil Bellows) boss, an elegant woman with a polished exterior, but a formidable adversary.

Ascension is 6-hour event series drama following a covert U.S. space mission launched in the 1960’s that sent hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Half way into their journey, as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

In addition, Syfy has put into development Absolute Zero, a futuristic alien invasion drama from Michael Horowitz (Burn Notice), Hypnotic and Universal Cable Productions. Set in 2124, Absolute Zero follows the denizens of a remote mining colony who discover a dangerous new species on a moon of Jupiter, setting off the first stage of an alien invasion ultimately heading for Earth.

Syfy’s Ascension, a six-hour event series premiering in November, has commenced production in Montreal, QC. Written and created by executive producer and showrunner Philip Levens (Smallville), Ascension is an ambitious original drama following a covert U.S. space mission launched in the 1960’s that sent hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Half way into their journey, as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Produced by Lionsgate Television and Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions, the series stars Brandon P. Bell (Hollywood Heights) as the confident and capable First Officer Oren Gault, Brian Van Holt (Cougar Town, The Bridge) as the eponymous ship’s captain William Denninger and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as Viondra Denniger, the Captain’s beautiful, manipulative and dangerous wife (who also serves as the ship’s Chief Steward).

Joining Bell, Van Holt and Helfer are Tiffany Lonsdale (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) as Chief Astronomer Emily Vanderhaus, Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) as the ship’s head doctor Juliet Bryce, Jacqueline Byers as her daughter Nora Bryce, PJ Boudousque (Coldwater) as Nora’s love interest, James Toback and Ryan Robbins (Sanctuary, Continuum) as Safety Officer (and Emily’s husband) Duke Vanderhaus.

Ascension is executive produced by Jason Blum (The Normal Heart, Stranded, The River, film franchises Paranormal Activity and The Purge) along with Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock on behalf of Sea To Sky Studios. The event series will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television.

Ascension is slated to launch in November 2014 and air through December.

Syfy today announced that Brian Van Holt (Cougar Town, The Bridge) will star in the channel’s new original, six hour event series Ascension, portraying eponymous ship’s captain, William Denninger. Van Holt joins the previously announced Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) in the intergalactic mystery series; the two will play husband and wife.

A politician as well as a military man, Denninger is a natural leader. Rising through the ship’s ranks, he became captain of the Ascension as a result of his heroic actions during a catastrophic fire that nearly destroyed the ship early in its voyage. While strong-willed and confident, he and his wife, Viondra (Helfer), have a very public yet tortured marriage.

In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Brian Van Holt will appear opposite Reese Witherspoon in Jean-Marc Vallee’s upcoming feature film Wild for Fox Searchlight. His other film credits include Black Hawk Down directed by Ridley Scott, Confidence directed by James Foley, Swat directed by Clark Johnson, House of Wax directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, and Bullet to the Head directed by Walter Hill.

On television, he appears in a recurring role as “Ray Burton” in FX’s hit series The Bridge starring Demian Bichir and Diane Kruger. He also starred in the TBS/ABC comedy Cougar Town, and previously starred in David Milch’s HBO series John from Cincinatti. He is repped by APA (agency) and Circle of Confusion (management).

Ascension is an ambitious original drama created and written by Philip Levens (Smallville) who will serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The series will be produced in Montreal, QC by Lionsgate Television and Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum (Stranded, The River, film franchises Paranormal Activity and The Purge) and Mark Stern are Executive Producers on the project along with Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock on behalf of Sea To Sky Studios. The event series will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television.

Ascension is slated to launch in November 2014 and air through December.

Ascension debuts in November, and is produced by Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions. From written/executive producer Philip Levens; Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock also exec produce.

Syfy today announced that Tricia Helfer, who played the humanoid Cylon “Number Six” in the iconic award-winning series Battlestar Galactica, will star in the channel’s new original, six hour event series Ascension.

Helfer will play the beautiful, manipulative and dangerous “Viondra Denniger.” Viondra regards herself as a not-so-secret power broker aboard the Ascension. As the Captain’s wife, Viondra is afforded a position of power and privilege, which she leverages as the Ship’s Chief Steward.

In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, the mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Ascension is an ambitious original drama created and written by Philip Levens (Smallville) who will serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The series will be produced in Montreal, QC by Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum (Stranded, The River, film franchises Paranormal Activity and The Purge) and Mark Stern are Executive Producers on the project along with Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock on behalf of Sea To Sky Studios. The event series will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television.

Ascension is slated to launch in November 2014 and air through December.

Best known to TV audiences for her Leo Award-winning performance in Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica, Helfer recently toplined ABC’s drama Killer Women from Executive Producer Sofia Vergara. Previously, Helfer starred in Jerry Bruckheimer’s Dark Blue for TNT and guest starred on the hit series Burn Notice and Two and a Half Men. Her other guest starring roles include Chuck, Lie To Me, Franklin and Bash, Human Target and Warehouse 13.

Syfy is looking to get back into epic science fiction, and their first step looks to be Ascension, about a secret 1963 U.S. space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

Ascension is an ambitious original drama created and written by Philip Levens (Smallville) who will serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The series will be produced in Montreal, QC by Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions. Jason Blum (Stranded, The River, film franchises Paranormal Activity and The Purge) and Mark Stern are Executive Producers on the project along with Ivan Fecan, Tim Gamble and Brett Burlock on behalf of Sea To Sky Studios. The event series will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television.

Said Dave Howe, President at Syfy, “Syfy is more committed than ever to bringing to life epic event television. We have a rich history in this arena, from Steven Spielberg’s ‘Taken’ to the highly acclaimed mini that launched the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series, to reimagined takes on classic tales such as ‘Alice’ and ‘Tin Man.’ In keeping with that grand tradition, we are delighted to bring this thrilling, provocative and intelligent event to our fans later this year.”

Ascension is slated to launch in November 2014 and air through December.

Said Bill McGoldrick, Executive Vice President of Original Content, Syfy, “Phil Levens has crafted a bold and surprising spin on the space opera. We are equally excited to embark on this journey with our partners at UCP, Sea To Sky, Lionsgate, Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions and also with Mark Stern who shepherded this project while at Syfy.”