Sci-Fi Storm

On the heels of a an apparent trailer (which as it turns out was really a demo reel) for the long-developing Battlestar Galactica prequel series Blood & Chrome (followed by NBCU getting it pulled from YouTube), Syfy finally announced a decision on the series, after a long silence – and it’s not good for those hoping to see it on TV.

Deadline is reporting that the network has decided not to go forward with a full TV series. It took over a year from getting the green light to start production on the 90-minute pilot to being delivered to the network in at least a rough cut, due to all the digital effects and post-production work required, and Syfy said little afterwards, except for President of Original Programming Mark Stern saying they were “trying to figure out the economics right now,” back in January. With such a long and expensive production cycle it looked more and more like it wouldn’t be doable as a series.

All is not lost, however. First, the pilot will be aired at some time in the future. And as the series was originally envisioned as a web series, it looks like they will return to that idea, with Stern saying, “We are actively pursuing it as was originally intended: a groundbreaking digital series that will launch to audiences beyond the scope of a television screen.”

It’s been a full year since production started on Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Syfy’s announced prequel to Battlestar Galactica. But over the last several months, Syfy has been very, very quiet about it’s status, which moved from an originally planned web series to full pilot. Questions about why it was taking so long, would it ever be seen, etc. abound. What little Syfy did say wasn’t encouraging either, with how long it would take to do the visual effects for a full series – and they hadn’t even decided to pick it up yet.

Well, our friends over at Airlock Alpha report that Composer Bear McCreary, who did the music for Battlestar Galactica, told a panel at the EMP Science Fiction Hall of Fame’s Galactibash celebration on February 17th that he completed the score for the pilot…and that’s a very good sign that it will at least see the light of day in some form, at least.

Blood & Chrome is a “near-prequel” to the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, taking place at the beginning of the first Cylon War (later than the previous prequel effort, Caprica). As the battle between humans and their creation, the sentient robotic Cylons, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a young, talented fighter pilot, William Adama (Luke Pasqualino), finds himself assigned to one of the most powerful Battlestars in the Colonial fleet: the Galactica. David Eick is executive producing.

Syfy just announced it’s new slate of shows…and it is big. Yes, it includes a lot of reality shows (they pay the bills), but there are some interesting twists…below you can read the full press release for all the details, but here are some highlights…FYI, exact dates are to be determined later…

First off, the scripted programming…Alphas, which will debut in July along with new episodes of Warehouse 13, Eureka and Haven, is about a team of seemingly ordinary people who have brain anomalies that give them extraordinary mental and physical powers. They form a team led by Dr. Leigh Rosen (Emmy Award-winner and Oscar nominee David Strathairn) to investigate cases of other possible Alpha activity.

Battlestar: Blood & Chrome (see previous news) is still in development and is awaiting a debut date.

On the reality side, three series are ready for this summer:

Haunted Collector (June, working title) follows John Zaffis and his family of renowned paranormal investigators as they investigate possible paranormal objects (Ghost Hunters meets Hollywood Treasure?)

Legend Quest (July) follows Ashley Crowe, a renowned real-life symbologist, in what is described as “Indiana Jones-type adventure and Da Vinci Code-style connections”

Paranormal Witness (September) – a combination documentary and drama recreation about people who have had paranormal experiences that defy explanation.

In the development bin there are three series described as “Single-camera half hours”. I believe this is what Mark Stern referred to as comedies in dinner last October, but done single-camera style, more typically associated with dramas:

Three Inches, about daydreamer and underachiever Walter Spackman who gets struck by lightning and develops the power to transport objects with his mind – but only three inches. And he discovers others with these “super” powers…

In The Dark, which follows a team of inept paranormal investigators.

Me and Lee, where Lee Majors comes to the rescue of a down-on-his-luck 20 something who has back surgery that goes bad, and brings him to his high-tech lab and makes him bionic.

And in development in reality series is a very long slate, with shows that feature Motley Crüe’s Tommy Lee investigating secret societies and rituals, Cleve Hall and his family run monster factory; Deepak Chopra having dinner and discussions with interesting guests; and a Scrapheap/Junkyard Wars type show for making “chain reaction” machines.

On the movie front, there is a lot as well, going well into 2012. Red Faction: Origins, based on the video game series, is probably the most anticipated and features Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), Brian Jacob Smith (Stargate Universe), and Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood). A few other titles that stood out (titles subject to change – you can get more details below): Zombie Apocalypse, Snowmageddon (they stole the title from my tweet in February – they WERE filming at my house! :)), and Dungeons and Dragons 4 – although I’m not aware of a third movie having been produced…oh, and let’s not forget Bigfoot, The Asylum’s next stunt-cast monster movie, featuring Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) vs. Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch). Time to start thinking of some of my own celebrity deathmatch movies…how about Billy Mumy vs. Wil Wheaton? 🙂

LOTS of interesting stuff. Of course, more scripted dramas would be nice…
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Production of Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome began yesterday up in Vancouver. Blood & Chrome represents a return to the action-oriented storytelling that helped make Battlestar Galactica a success, and what many fans felt was lacking in the followup prequel, Caprica.

It takes place in the 10th year of the first Cylon war. As the battle between humans and their creation, the sentient robotic Cylons, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a young, talented fighter pilot, William Adama (Luke Pasqualino), finds himself assigned to one of the most powerful Battlestars in the Colonial fleet: the Galactica. Full of ambition and in pursuit of the intense action that the Cylon war promises, Adama quickly find himself at odds with Coker (Ben Cotton), the battle-weary officer to whom he reports. With 47 days left in his tour of duty, Coker desires an end to battle just as much as Adama craves the start of it. Though they clash at first, the two men forge an unlikely bond when a routine mission turns dangerous and becomes a pivotal one for the desperate fleet.

Another cast member was added as well – Lili Bordan (Cherry) will play Dr. Beka Kelly, a Ph.D. who worked for Graystone Industries that created the Cylon robots. Currently assigned to a secret military mission, Beka and Adama quickly establish a rapport.

Syfy announced today two actors signed to appear on the upcoming Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome series, including the highly anticipated role of William Adama. Luke Pasqualino (Skins) will play the young Adama, while Ben Cotton, who has appeared in Caprica, Stargate Atlantis and also as Herrick in Riese: Kingdom Falling, will play Adama’s commanding officer Coker, who is a battle-weary officer near the end of his tour.