Sci-Fi Storm

Terminator star Linda Hamilton, who most recently had a couple guest stints on Lost Girl and had a recurring role as Chuck’s mother in Chuck, will now appear in Season 2 of Syfy’s Defiance in a recurring role as Pilar, the mysterious and long-separated wife of Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene) and mother to their three children.

Premiering its second season on Thursday, June 19 at 8PM ET/PT, the ambitious series delivered an average of 1.5 million viewers 18-49 and 3.2 million total viewers in its first season, based on Live +7 data.

Separated from her family for a number of years, Pilar has now returned home. Pilar suffered from serious mental illness and in the aftermath of the Votan arrival and subsequent war, did not have access to her medication. With her mental state unchecked, Pilar snapped and tried to murder her children. Fearing for the family’s safety, Rafe sent her to an institution and told their children she had died. Now Pilar is back with both a steely resolve and a warm, maternal love for her family. But the motives for her return are unclear, and soon Rafe and others in town begin to question where she’s actually been these past years.

Trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Hamilton triumphed in her breakout role as the iconic Sarah Conner in James Cameron’s action/sci-fi masterpiece The Terminator, followed by the blockbuster sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day. She is also well-known for her popular role on the television series Beauty and the Beast opposite Ron Perlman. Her additional film credits include Mr. Destiny, Silent Fall and Dante’s Peak.

Hamilton joins the previously announced James Murray, William Atherton and Anna Hopkins as new cast additions to season two of the series. Murray will portray the integral role of Pottinger, the new mayor of Defiance. Atherton portrays high-ranking Earth Republic official Viceroy Mercado and Hopkins is Earth Republic soldier Jessica “Berlin” Rainier.

Grant Bowler will return as Nolan, along with Julie Benz as Amanda Rosewater, Stephanie Leonidas as Irisa Nolan, Tony Curran as Datak Tarr, Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr, Graham Greene as Rafe McCawley and Jesse Rath as Alak Tarr. The cast also features Dewshane Williams as Tommy, Trenna Keating as Doc Yewll, Justin Rain as Quentin McCawley and Nicole Munoz as Christie McCawley.

As the story of Defiance resumes, the lives of the townspeople are in drastic turmoil. The Earth Republic has assumed control of the town, with far-reaching consequences including a new mayor. Nolan traverses the badlands to find a lost Irisa, Amanda has an unexpected new role in the town as she searches for Kenya and the Tarr family desperately tries to keep control of their criminal empire in the midst of dramatic changes.

Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica) resumes his role as executive producer and showrunner. Smallville’s Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin return as executive producers for season two and Michael Taylor serves as consulting producer. Michael Nankin (co-executive producer) is set to direct the season two opener. Defiance is produced by Universal Cable Productions.

Defiance is an unprecedented partnership between Syfy and Trion Worlds and the first-ever convergence of television and online gaming, featuring an interconnected world and storylines that co-exist on both platforms.

This June, Syfy furthers its commitment to premium scripted programming by dedicating an all-new night to original dramas. Beginning June 19, Syfy will kick off its new Thursday night block with the one-two punch of the season two premiere of Defiance at 8/7c, followed by the series premiere of Syfy’s newest scripted series, Dominion, at 9/8c.

As the story of Defiance resumes, the lives of the townspeople are in drastic turmoil. The Earth Republic has assumed control of the town, with far-reaching consequences including a new mayor. Nolan (Grant Bowler) traverses the badlands to find a lost Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas), Amanda (Julie Benz) has an unexpected new role in the town as she searches for Kenya and the Tarr family desperately tries to keep control of their criminal empire in the midst of dramatic changes. Joining the cast this season are James Murray as new mayor Niles Pottinger, Anna Hopkins as Earth Republic soldier Jessica “Berlin” Rai and William Atherton as Earth Republic official Viceroy Mercado.

Immediately following the return of Defiance, Syfy will air the 90-minute series premiere of Dominion at 9PM ET/PT.

Based on characters from the hit theatrical film Legion (2010), Dominion is an epic supernatural action drama set 25 years after the events of the movie and picking up in the aftermath of a catastrophic war between an army of angels and mankind that has transformed the world. The series follows the perilous journey of a rebellious young soldier, set against a backdrop of the ultimate celestial battle as it touches down on earth.

Dominion stars Christopher Egan (Kings), Tom Wisdom (300), Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones), Alan Dale (Lost), Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Luke Allen-Gale (The Borgias).

I know it is late in the shopping season – I’ve been uber-busy this year, but you might still have time…here are a few of the things we like out there…most of which we’ve purchased!

With three science-fiction-loving girls in my house, there was never much in the way of appropriate clothing you could get for them for gifts…until about four years ago. Today, their wardrobes and my wallet seem to be aimed at Her Universe, founded by an actual Jedi – the voice of Ahsoka Tano, Ashley Eckstein. Covering not just Star Wars, but Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, and Syfy programs, clothing and other merchandise specially made for women with awesome designs abound. And you can also get items at ThinkGeek and Hot Topic (in the stores as well!) Still no merchandise for men…yet.

For the men at least, if you are a fan of Warehouse 13, did you know that star Eddie McClintock, who plays Agent Pete Lattimer, is an artist? For the last few seasons he’s designed and sold T-shirts for the show, and the final season T-shirt is not only available for sale, but you can GET IT SIGNED BY HIM for free! It may be too late for Christmas, but who doesn’t like an extra gift after the holidays? And while you are at it, check out his original artwork for sale.

Speaking of ThinkGeek – I’m not a coffee drinker, but I do like a hot cup of tea, and I can be a bit of a tea snob. More recently I’ve delved into the realm of loose leaf teas, but they can be difficult to use – I’ve got two of those round mesh tea infusers (including a Mickey head one I picked up at WDW), but if you’re dealing with fine cut tea, they never really seem to close properly and you get pieces of tea in your drink. But then I found this TARDIS tea infuser, which looks perfect. I haven’t tried it yet because it’s a Christmas gift to myself, but the design looks to be just what I want – fill from the top, fine holes on the bottom…problem solved.
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Syfy’s freshman series Defiance will get its first [sfs=1363]Blu-ray[/sfs]/[sfs=1364]DVD[/sfs] release in a couple weeks on October 15th.

Defiance is the first convergence of a TV program and a massively multiplayer game. The program follows the events in the town of Defiance, built on the remains of St. Louis, after the Earth is devastated by alien terraforming devices and a war between the humans and the races of the Votanis Collective. Now years later, the stranded Votans and the humans live together in an uneasy peace, working for the meager resources still available.

The [asin=B00576U8CC]game[/asin] takes place simultaneously in the area of San Francisco. Events in one can influence the other.

Season Two is currently filming in Toronto and will air in 2014.

Next Sunday and Monday, we’ll be reporting from the 7th Annual Syfy Press Tour…like last year, we will be visiting the sets of a couple of Syfy TV series, but not in Toronto – this year, we will be in Montreal, visiting the sets of Being Human and the upcoming Ron Moore show Helix!

Sunday night I’ll be occasionally tweeting some pics when possible from dinner, which will (as planned) include some of the stars of Defiance (Stephanie Leonidas, Jesse Rath, and Trenna Keating), Haven (Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Adam “The Edge” Copeland), Ghost Hunters (Jason Hawes, Amy Bruni, Adam Berry), and director of Sharknado and Sharknado 2: The Second One, Anthony Ferrante. And who knows who else may drop by…

On Monday, we will visit the sets, but the schedule is still being worked out. But be sure to follow along on Twitter as well as here as we usually run some social media sharing with our fellow press members…

Wondering about last year? Check out our set visits for Defiance and Warehouse 13!

Syfy announced today additional casting for Season 2 of its highly-rated and groundbreaking drama series, Defiance, with the addition of William Atherton (Real Genius, Ghost Busters, Die Hard) and Anna Hopkins (Barney’s Version).

Slated for a June 2014 launch, production is currently underway in Toronto, ON for the 13-episode second season of the ambitious series, which delivered an average of 1.5 million viewers 18-49 and 3.2 million total viewers in its first season, based on Live +7 data. Defiance is produced by Universal Cable Productions.

Atherton steps into the supporting role of the jaded, Earth Republic official Viceroy Mercado, Major Pottinger’s (James Murray) commanding officer. Mercado is ruthless, quick tongued and sarcastic, fond of peppering his sentences with obscure old Earth cultural references and mocking younger subordinates for being too young to understand. He sees Pottinger for the manipulative person he is, but grudgingly admits the man gets results. Mercado also has a dark secret that would shock his colleagues and the townspeople of Defiance.
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Syfy’s Defiance starts production on its 13-episode second season next week on August 12th in Toronto.

The most ambitious project in Syfy’s 20-year history, and produced by Universal Cable Productions, season one of Defiance delivered an average of 1.5 million viewers 18-49 and 3.2 million total viewers, ranking as the second-highest Syfy scripted original to date among total viewers based on Live +7 data (behind Warehouse 13 in September 2009). The season one finale on July 8 earned a solid 1.6 million viewers 18-49 and 3.4 million total viewers. .

Grant Bowler returns as Nolan, along with Julie Benz as Amanda Rosewater, Stephanie Leonidas as Irisa Nolan, Tony Curran as Datak Tarr, Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr, Graham Greene as Rafe McCawley and Jesse Rath as Alak Tarr. The cast also features Dewshane Williams as Tommy, Trenna Keating as Doc Yewll, Justin Rain as Quentin McCawley and Nicole Munoz as Christie McCawley.

As the story of Defiance resumes, the lives of the townspeople are in drastic turmoil. The Earth Republic has assumed control of the town, with far-reaching consequences including a new mayor. Nolan traverses the badlands to find a lost Irisa, Amanda has an unexpected new role in the town as she searches for Kenya and the Tarr family desperately tries to keep control of their criminal empire in the midst of dramatic changes.

James Murray joins the cast in the integral role of Pottinger, the new mayor of Defiance. Appointed by the Earth Republic, Pottinger is shrewd, polished and charming; he quickly wins the trust of most people he meets. But his civilized veneer hides a ruthless pragmatist who traffics in information and secrets, and mercilessly punishes those who defy him. Pottinger sees people as tools to be exploited or prizes to be won; his latest object of desire is ex-mayor Amanda (Benz). Born in Manchester, England, Murray found initial fame in ITV’s soap opera Coronation Street as Sandy Hunter. He has starred in numerous British film and television pieces including the popular BBC series New Tricks. He also appeared on the NBC series Beautiful People and CBS’s Chaos.

Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica) resumes his role as executive producer and showrunner. Smallville’s Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin return as executive producers for season two and Michael Taylor serves as consulting producer. Michael Nankin (co-executive producer) is set to direct the season two opener.

A first-rate production team returns, including visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica), whose work has earned Defiance a 2013 Emmy nomination, alien language and culture consultant David J. Peterson (Game of Thrones) and music supervisor Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica).

Season two of Defiance is set to premiere on Syfy in June 2014. The series is an unprecedented partnership between Syfy and Trion Worlds and the first-ever convergence of television and online gaming, featuring an interconnected world and storylines that co-exist on both platforms.

If you’d like to get a view of the set, check out our article, “A Day on the Set of Defiance”.

More videos from Comic-Con – highlights from the Defiance panel…

#StahmasBathBeads:

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Here are five sizzle reels direct from Comic-Con for the Syfy series Haven, Warehouse 13, Defiance, Being Human and Helix!
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Game Of Thrones was near the top of all Emmy nominations with 16, plus an “Outstanding Interactive Program” nomination for “Game Of Thrones Season Three Enhanced Digital Experience”, coming in second to American Horror Story: Asylum‘s 17.

Other genre-related shows with nominations:

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome – Outstanding Sound Editing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special, Outstanding Sound Editing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special, Outstanding Special Visual Effects

Defiance – Outstanding Special Visual Effects

Falling Skies – Outstanding Special Visual Effects

Once Upon A Time – Outstanding Costumes For A Series, Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)

Revolution – Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Supporting Role, Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Miniseries Or Movie

True Blood – Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series

The Walking Dead – Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries, Movie Or A Special