Sci-Fi Storm

Syfy today announced their latest development slate for scripted programming. They give us more insight than most networks, but at the same time keep in mind that these are not greenlit productions – few if any in development will make it to air.

Clone – Based on the [asin=1607066831]best-selling graphic novel[/asin]. When retired soldier Luke Taylor investigates a break-in at his house, he never expected who the burglar would be: A clone of himself. Drawn into a vast government conspiracy when his wife is kidnapped, Luke must use all his combat skills and network of military contacts to get to the bottom of the secret biotech program that is responsible and the hidden agenda that goes all the way to the top levels of power. Writer/Executive Producer: David Schulner (Dracula, Ironside). Executive Producers: Robert Kirkman of Skybound Entertainment (Creator, EP, Writer of The Walking Dead) and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion (The Walking Dead). Studio: Universal Television.

Letter 44 – Based on the [asin=1620101335]graphic novels[/asin] of the same name. It is tradition for the preceding President to leave a letter for the newly elected President on the desk of the Oval Office. In this letter, new President Stephen Blades learns this stunning secret: seven years earlier, NASA discovered an alien construction project in the asteroid belt. A crew of heroic astronauts was sent to investigate and they’re nearing the conclusion of their epic journey.

Executive Producer/Writer/Director: Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3). Executive Producers: Eric Gitter (Scott Pilgrim vs the World) and Peter Schwerin (The Flock, Scary Movie 2) from Closed on Mondays. Executive Producer: Renee Echevarria (4400, Terra Nova). Studio: A co-production of Universal Television and Universal Cable Productions.

Magicians – Based on the book series, [asin=0452296293]The Magicians[/asin], by Lev Grossman, the one-hour drama follows a group of 20-somethings in New York who study magic and discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is real and poses a grave danger to Earth.

Executive Producers/Writers: Sera Gamble (Supernatural) and John McNamara (Common Law, In Plain Sight). Executive Producer: Michael London (Lola Versus, Milk). Studio: Universal Cable Productions.

[Busy day for Syfy announcements :)]

Syfy today announced that it will develop as longform programming Pax Romana, Jonathan Hickman’s graphic novel about a time traveling clash of ages and arms, and Ronin, based on Frank Miller’s (300) comic book series, about an avenging samurai.

[asin=1582408734]Pax Romana[/asin] is about a Special Forces team that travels back in time on the eve of World War III to “fix” the future by altering the past. Their destination: Ancient Rome. Roman legions battle modern day attack helicopters, tanks and soldiers, while thought-provoking themes are explored as the leaders of the expedition fight over their vision for civilization. Writers: Matthew Federman & Stephen Scaia (Jericho, Warehouse 13, Human Target). Co-executive producer: Jonathan Hickman. Executive producers: David Alpert of Circle of Confusion (The Walking Dead), Federman and Scaia. A production of Universal Cable Productions.

In Ronin, published by DC Entertainment, eight centuries after a Japanese Ronin samurai failed to protect his master from a demon, he awakens in a futuristic, nihilistic New York in the body of Billy, a medical experiment. Now Billy/Ronin is chasing the demon, which has reawakened. Both parties want control of a sword with magical properties and will stop at nothing to get it back. Studio: Warner Horizon.

Continuing a major expansion of its scripted primetime programming schedule, Syfy today announced a new 10-episode space adventure drama series, Killjoys, which will premiere in 2015.

From the producers of Orphan Black (Temple Street Productions) and the creator of Lost Girl (Michelle Lovretta), Killjoys follows a fun-loving, hard living trio of interplanetary bounty hunters sworn to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants throughout the Quad, a distant system on the brink of a bloody, multiplanetary class war.

Killjoys will join Syfy’s existing hits Defiance, Helix and Haven, and the upcoming series Dominion, Ascension, The Expanse and 12 Monkeys.

Said Dave Howe, President, Syfy: “With its explosive action, smartly-drawn characters, and fun and provocative story-lines, Killjoys has all the ingredients to make it the perfect complement to our expanding slate of quality science fiction drama series.”

Said Killjoys executive producers: David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg: “We are delighted to have Killjoys on Syfy in the U.S. It is our first project with them and the perfect home for this compelling, futuristic series packed with suspense and provocative storylines.”

Creator/executive producer/showrunner: Michelle Lovretta (Lost Girl, The Secret Circle). Killjoys is produced by Temple Street Productions (Orphan Black, Being Erica) in association with Syfy and Bell Media/Space. Executive producers: David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg/Temple Street Productions. International distribution via Universal Cable Productions.

Bell Media/Space originally ordered the series and will air Killjoys in Canada.

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.

Programming advisory: Syfy is moving Metal Hurlant Chronicles to air after Warehouse 13 at 10/9c on Mondays, instead of before, starting this coming Monday.

Syfy has made several statements that they wanted to get back to what their audience has been clamoring for…a space-based epic series. Now it seems they’ve found one that they’re ready to launch into space with, giving a straight-to-series order for 10 episodes of The Expanse, based on a best-selling book series. The Expanse is a thriller set two hundred years in the future, which follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship’s captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.

The straight-to-series order is very ambitious for the network, ordering based on the pilot script before it was ever put in front of cameras, or even cast.

The Expanse is produced by Alcon Television Group (ATG), a division of Alcon Entertainment, and marks the company’s first series order.

Syfy President Dave Howe announced the series today. “The Expanse is epic in scale and scope and promises to be Syfy’s most ambitious series to date,” he said. “Bringing this coveted book franchise to television with our partners at Alcon and the Sean Daniel Company is a giant win for Syfy, reinforcing our overall strategy to produce bold, provocative and compelling sci-fi fantasy stories. The Expanse joins a killer line-up of high-concept, high quality series, along with recently announced original projects Ascension, 12 Monkeys, the renewal of Helix, and the soon to premiere Dominion.”

Academy Award-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men, Iron Man) wrote the pilot and will continue to serve as writers, as well as executive producers.

ATG President Sharon Hall states, “The Expanse is an addictive, sophisticated, character-driven franchise and Mark and Hawk are the perfect people to steer it. Their script is a totally immersive and accessible sci-fi journey. We are thrilled to be in business with Syfy on this venture.”

Brown and Daniel state: “The Expanse is one of the most special pieces of material we’ve ever encountered and it has been our dream to bring it to life since the moment we read it. We couldn’t be more excited to be doing it with this team of all-stars – Mark, Hawk, and our partners at Alcon and Syfy.”

Alcon co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson will serve as executive producers with Sharon Hall. Alcon Television executive Ben Roberts will serve as co-producer. Ben Cook will serve as producer.

Sean Daniel (Graceland, The Mummy) and Jason Brown of the Sean Daniel Company developed the original pitch, with Fergus and Ostby, and will also executive produce.

Developed with the Sean Daniel Company as a direct-to-series project, Alcon is financing and executive producing the hour-long, ten episode series, based on the popular New York Times bestselling book series collectively known as The Expanse, written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S. A. Corey). Abraham and Franck will be show producers.

The multi-installment, best-selling book series is published in 17 countries, including China, France, Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. One in the series, [asin=0316129089]“Leviathan Wakes”[/asin], was nominated for a Hugo Award as well as a Locus Award, while [asin=9780316129060]“Caliban’s War”[/asin] was nominated for a Locus Award.

As the sole studio, Alcon retains the much-in-demand worldwide distribution rights. Alcon is currently out to cast and directors.

Fergus and Ostby are repped by CAA and Mark Gochman.

Syfy today announced Z Nation, a 13-episode zombie series set to debut in the fall from production company The Asylum (the studio that brought us Sharknado). The action-horror series depicts the epic struggle to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse. The series, which will air on Syfy, will be produced by The Asylum and sold internationally by Dynamic Television.

Karl Schaefer (Eerie Indiana, Eureka, The Dead Zone) will serve as executive producer and showrunner. “Z Nation will take viewers where no zombie has gone before,” says Schaefer. The show, he continues, adds “a sense of hope to the horror of the apocalypse – our everyday heroes take the fight to the zombies. It’ll be an epic journey unlike anything you’ve seen before.”

In making the announcement, Chris Regina, Senior Vice President, Programming, Syfy, said: “Z Nation is a unique new journey into the long established zombie genre. Instead of existential despair, the series offers hope that somehow, some way, humanity will not only survive, but triumph. In producing their first ever weekly series, our long-time partners The Asylum have created a different way of telling an iconic story.”

In Z Nation, three years have passed since the zombie virus has gutted the country, and a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood. Although the antibodies he carries are the world’s last, best hope for a vaccine, he hides a dark secret that threatens them all. With humankind’s survival at stake, the ragtag band embarks on a journey of survival across three thousand miles of rusted-out post-apocalyptic America.

Z Nation is a dynamic ensemble drama that will plunge viewers into a fully-imagined post-zombie America and take them on an adventure with a diverse group of richly-drawn characters. As the reluctant heroes learn to work as a team and battle ever-more-menacing zombies, their flaws, idiosyncrasies, and moral dilemmas will ultimately become the heart of the show.

After the success of “re-imagination” shows like Merlin and Atlantis, it seems Syfy is seeing some benefit in the re-telling of the old stories.

Syfy, Reunion Pictures and Great Point Media today announced a new mythological drama series Olympus, which will take viewers into the action-packed world of humans, Gods and monsters.

The 13-part series of one hour episodes will premiere on Syfy in 2015.

The team behind Olympus includes writer Nick Willing (Tinman, Alice, Neverland) and legendary executive producer Robert Halmi Sr. (Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, The Odyssey, Gulliver’s Travels).

Olympus will tell the story of how a few brave men and women banished the Gods to the realm of the unconscious – a place they called the Underworld or the Kingdom of Hades. The series will follow the protagonist on his journey as he gradually transforms from a fresh-faced and raw young man through the dramatic experiences of betrayal, love, disappointment, empowerment and exile, until he emerges a ruthless leader of men, and a match for the Gods themselves.

The series is being produced by Reunion Pictures and Olympus TV (London) Limited in association with Great Point Media, and will begin production this summer in Vancouver and London, with the first episode written and directed by Willing. Executive Producers are Robert Halmi Sr. for The Halmi Company, Robert Halmi Jr. and Jim Reeve for Great Point Media and Matthew O’Connor and Lisa Richardson for Reunion Pictures. The series is being marketed and distributed by Content Media Group outside the US, Germany and Canada.

“Olympus is a fantastic blend of action, intense thrills, creatures and great story telling. It will feature characters from mythology in a way never before imagined,” said Chris Regina, Senior Vice President, Programming, Syfy. “It’s an excellent complement to our roster of programming and we can’t wait to share the adventures of Hero with the Syfy audience.”

“I’m thrilled that the team of Willing, O’Connor and Halmi are together on another exciting Syfy project. With the success of Tinman, Neverland and Alice, we are confident that this will be another epic adventure for television,” stated Halmi Sr.

Syfy’s President Dave How announced today that it is giving is giving a series greenlight to 12 Monkeys, a drama based on the 1995 Universal Pictures film directed by Terry Gilliam. Syfy is ordering 12 episodes in addition to the pilot which was filmed last year. The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions and Atlas Entertainment, producer of the original theatrical. The show is expected to debut next January. (For those following the Syfy pilot slate, another recent pilot, High Moon, is not moving forward.)

Said Dave Howe, “12 Monkeys is a captivating time travel adventure and high stakes race against the clock. We are thrilled to add it to our slate of engaging and thought-provoking new scripted projects including the recently announced event series Ascension and the second season renewal of Helix from Ron Moore.”

12 Monkeys, starring Aaron Stanford (Nikita, X-Men: The Last Stand, X2), Amanda Schull (Suits, Pretty Little Liars), Noah Bean (Nikita, Damages) and Kirk Acevedo (Fringe), follows the journey of a time traveler (Stanford) from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate the human race.

Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven (American Hustle, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Trilogy) and Richard Suckle (American Hustle, The International), will Executive Produce. Roven produced the original film. Jake Kurily will serve as Atlas’s executive on the series. Terry Matalas & Travis Fickett (Nikita), writers of the pilot, will serve as Co-Executive Producers with Natalie Chaidez (In Plain Sight, V, Heroes) as Executive Producer/Showrunner. Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed and served as Executive Producer on the pilot.

Syfy has greenlit the 12-episode summer series, The Wil Wheaton Project (working title), a weekly topical comedy show hosted by actor, blogger and champion of geek culture Wil Wheaton. The 30-minute show will offer a fast-paced, lighthearted exploration and celebration of all things within the realm of science fiction and genre entertainment. The series premieres Tuesday, May 27 at 10PM ET/PT on Syfy. The announcement was made today by Dave Howe, President, Syfy.

Each week, Wil provides his insider point-of-view, sense of humor and genre expertise as he dissects the week’s most popular and trending topics across science fiction film, television and pop culture, video games, viral videos and news. Wil is on his feet for the rapid-fire half hour, delivering witty commentary on the things he knows and loves in this golden age of sci-pop culture. The result is a fun appreciation and celebration of fandom and all things science fiction.

“Wil Wheaton’s rock star status within the genre fan base, along with his insatiable passion for all things pop culture make him the ideal arbiter of what’s hot and what’s not in the genre space,” said Dave Howe. “Wil’s legion of fans will relish his wry sense of humor and sharp wit, coupled with his unique commentary on the most popular genre entertainment out there.”

“The Wil Wheaton Project has been incredibly fun to develop, and I can’t wait for my fellow geeks to see it,” said Wheaton.

Wil Wheaton began acting in commercials at the age of seven, and by the age of ten had appeared in numerous television and film roles. In 1986, his critically acclaimed role in Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me put him in the public spotlight. In 1987, Wil was cast as Wesley Crusher in the hit television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Recently, Wil has held recurring roles on Syfy’s Eureka, TNT’s Leverage and CBS’s The Big Bang Theory. He played Axis of Anarchy leader Fawkes in Felicia Day’s webseries, The Guild, and currently hosts Falling Skies: Second Watch for TNT. Off-camera, he is the creator producer, and host of the wildly successful webseries Tabletop, which is currently in its second season. Tabletop was awarded the 2013 Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming and the gold ENnie for Best Podcast at the 2013 Gen Con EN World RPG Awards. Wil was also awarded Best Host (taped) and the webseries was honored as the Best Hosted Series (Pre-Recorded) at the 2013 IAWTV Awards.

Wil is also an author, blogger, podcaster, voice actor and widely-followed original Twitter user. Wil personally maintains a popular social media presence, and his frequently-cited Twitter account is followed by over 2.3 million people from all over the world. He has published a number of acclaimed books, among them: Just A Geek, Dancing Barefoot and The Happiest Days of Our Lives. His latest book is Memories of the Future Volume 1, a humorous and nostalgic episode guide of the first half of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. All of his books grew out of his award-winning weblog, which he personally created and maintains at WIL WHEATON dot NET. Wil is also widely recognized as one of the original celebrity bloggers, and is a respected voice in the blogging community.

All-new summer episodes of Heroes of Cosplay also debut that night, airing at 9:00PM ET/PT on Syfy.

The Wil Wheaton Project is a production of Pilgrim Studios. Craig Piligian and Mike Nichols (Ghost Hunters) are executive producers.