Sci-Fi Storm

Syfy’s upcoming original movie Neverland is a prequel to the classic J.M. Barrie story Peter Pan, where you get to see a Neverland before Captain Hook took over, and before Peter meets Wendy! Check out the trailer below…Neverland airs on December 4th and 5th at 9/8c.

Here is a quicky “micro” review of Syfy’s Morlocks, which debuted this past weekend and starred Stargate: Atlantis‘s David Hewlett and Robert Picardo.

Aside from the two actors, the plot itself was very Stargate-ish. It involves a time rift at a military base created through an experiment created by a scientist (Hewlett) that was continued without his knowledge for the secret “Project Eloi”, but expeditions into the near future find a devastated landscape and the deadly monstrous Morlocks (see what they did there? No? Go watch The Time Machine – at least the original – or better yet read the novel.) When the Latch – the device that controls the rift – is left behind in the future, a team must retrieve it before the rift expands and the entire world is in danger of being swallowed. It also had a touch of Outer Limits to it.

Despite Hewlett’s presence, the technobabble that he handles so well seemed reduced. Acting was average, which is to say pretty decent for the Syfy Saturday night movie. Some of the character’s motivations were just unconvincing. And I had several problems with the climax that I can’t really talk about without spoiling it.

The movie is quite graphic and bloody. NOT KID FRIENDLY. The special effects as as expected on the low budget side, but again were decent for the Saturday night movie.

Still, it wasn’t a bad movie – far more to my tastes than the schlock monster movies, and it was good to see David Hewlett again.

Syfy has renewed two of its previous unscripted shows, Hollywood Treasure, which features Profiles In History auction house founder Joe Maddalena for 6 episodes, and Haunted Collector (sort of Ghost Hunters meets Friday the 13th: The Series) for 12 episodes.

A new unscripted show was also announced with a six episode order. Called Dream Machines, it follows two brothers who recreate some of the fantastic vehicles seen in movies in TV (think like the TRON light cycles!) as real working machines.

Following up to an earlier tweet (you are following us on Twitter, aren’t you?), Syfy announced today that they have renewed freshman series Alphas for a second season.

Mark Stern, President, Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions, made the announcement. Syfy is ordering 13 episodes of the breakout scripted summer hit from series producers Universal Cable Productions and BermanBraun Television to air in 2012.
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James Hibberd reports (and Syfy confirms) that actors Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations, Entourage), Nicholas Lea (V, Kyle XY), Michael Paré (Virgin Suicides, The Philadelphia Experiment), Gina Holden (Saw 3D, Final Destination, Flash Gordon), along with Ryan Robbins and Emilie Ullerup from Syfy’s Sanctuary, have joined the cast of Syfy’s update to The Philadelphia Experiment.

Based on the urban legend that an experiment in radar masking conducted by the U.S. Navy not only rendered the U.S.S. Eldridge invisible but actually temporarily transported it elsewhere, and was previously made into a 1984 movie (which starred Paré), Syfy’s remake updates it for the present day. Lea is the hero in this version, with Paré as a henchman for the film’s villain, and McDowell as the chief scientist of the original experiment.

It is expected to air in 2012.

Here are the preview’s for next Monday’s Syfy “Powerful Mondays” lineup, starting at 8PM ET…oh, and Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager) joins the cast of Warehouse 13 for four episodes! In Monday’s episode “The 40th Floor,” Mulgrew plays “Jane,” a Regent of Warehouse 13 who becomes vitally important to the survival of the Warehouse, while revealing a complex past with one of the agents. As the war on the Regents continues, Jane must make a bold decision that has far-reaching impact on both the Warehouse and the team.

Also guest starring will be Sasha Roiz (Grimm, Caprica), who will return as the sinister Marcus Diamond.
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After the odd short season order and speculation about cancellation afterwards for Eureka, from which Syfy backed off a bit, now comes news that Syfy’s canceled plans for that 6th season – which apparently leaves the show more or less canceled.

According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s James Hibberd, Syfy issued the following statement:

After painstaking consideration, we have had to make the difficult business decision to not order a season six of Eureka. But Eureka is not over yet. There is a new holiday episode this December and 12 stellar episodes set to debut next year, marking its fifth season and six memorable years on Syfy. The 2012 episodes are some of the best we’ve seen, and will bring this great series to a satisfying end. We are very grateful to Bruce Miller and Jaime Paglia, their team of incredible writers, and an amazing cast and crew who have consistently delivered a series we continue to be very proud of. We thank the fans for their support of this show and know they will enjoy its final season in 2012.

Syfy has not yet publicly released a statement. (Update: This is now Syfy’s official statement on the matter.)
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The new “Powerful Mondays” lineup on Syfy featuring Eureka, Warehouse 13, and Alphas certainly seems to be doing the trick for the network – overall viewers were up 8% in July, plus double digit gains in 3 key Male demographics over July of last year – 18% in Men 18-34 (126,000), 16% in Men 18-49 (341,000), and 13% in Men 25-54 (392,000).

Syfy launched Summer Premiere Week on July 11, showcasing the “Most Powerful Night of the Week” with Eureka at 8PM, Warehouse 13 at 9PM and newcomer Alphas at 10PM. That night became Syfy’s highest Monday time period audience for scripted series in more than 10 years.
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Here are three more sizzle reels from Comic-Con, for Alphas, Being Human and Sanctuary.
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Jewel Staite (Firefly) and A.J. Buckley (Supernatural) confront a devastating global catastrophe, while Battlestar Galactica alums Aaron Douglas and Paul Campbell take on a savage and legendary monster in the August Syfy Saturday Original Movies.

In Doomsday Prophecy, premiering Saturday, August 13, at 9PM (ET/PT), a book editor (Buckley) and an archeologist (Staite) hunt down a mysterious author of prophetic novels. When the writer is found dead, the editor obtains a device enabling him to see the future – an impending geological nightmare that will tear apart the planet. Doomsday Prophecy is a production of Cinetel Films.

In Killer Mountain – inspired by an ancient Himalayan legend – premiering Saturday, August 27, at 9PM (ET/PT), a team of climbers (Douglas, Campbell) is sent to a forbidden mountain to rescue a missing expedition. There, they discover that the mountain is the secret location of Shangri La — protected by a bloodthirsty alien creature, the Druk. Killer Mountain is a production of ARO Entertainment.