Farscape to return!

[Charlatan]

Hey all...

I just read in an trade magazine that Sci-Fi channel will be bringing Farscape back on the air...

Now don't get too excited. It will only be in the form of a four-hour miniseries to be called: Farscape: Peacekeeper War. It is to star the original cast.

It is a subscription site so here it is... It is a big release so I've bolded the relevant paragraph...


Sci-Fi adds firepower to dev slate

In the US, the Universal-owned Sci-Fi Channel is in development on an aggressive new slate of original programming to be top-lined by so serious Hollywood talent.

To lead things off the US cable network added up-and-coming feature actor Shawn Ashmore (X2), veteran Danny Glover and small screen babe Kristin Kruek (Smallville) to the cast of their upcoming mini Earthsea.

The trio of thespians join previously cast model-turned-actress Isabella Rossellini. The TV flick will be directed by Rob Lieberman (The Dead Zone) and is set to air in December of 2004.

Sci-Fi also plans to bring Farscape back to the airwaves in a four-hour miniseries to be called Farscape: Peacekeeper War. The mini will star the original cast of Ben Browder et al, to be directed by Brain Henson in a Rockne O’Bannon script. The Jim Henson Company will produce in association with Hallmark Entertainment.

Robert Halmi Sr, newly crowned MipTV's TV personality of the year, will wear the executive producer hat.

Nicolas Cage along with Norm Golighty will use their Saturn Films shingle to exec produce a two-hour backdoor pilot Sci-Fi is currently calling Dresden Files, based on the Jim Butcher novels.

The potential series is centered around Erik Dresden, who is described as a detective who comes from a long line of wizards. He uses special powers to fight unseen forces that cause everyday crimes. Morgan Gendel (Law & Order) will write and exec produce the pilot.

On board to EP with Cage and Golightly is Anthony Peckham (Don’t Say a Word) for Saturn and Lions Gate Television.

Also on tap at 'the what if… network' is six-hour mini to be exec produced by the king of creep Clive Barker that focuses on the Devil as he tries to litigate his way past the pearly gates and back into heaven.

The mini will be adapted from Barker’s own play, The History of the Devil and Scenes from a Pretended Life, though Sci-Fi is simply calling it History of the Devil. Peter Filardi (The Craft) will do the adapting and also serve as exec producer along with Jeff Hayes, Greg Coote, Joe Daley and Anthony DiBlasi, once again for Lions Gate Television.

Michael McDowell’s (Nightmare Before Christmas) Blackwater novels will be adapted into a four-hour miniseries. The novels are about a witch who secretly marries into a powerful Southern family and the uses her powers to destroy the family’s enemies. Mandalay Entertainment and The Orphanage will produce in association with Sony Pictures Television.

The network will lengthen the popular short film Winney: A Cute Candidate about an animated character, Winney, that becomes so popular that it may be elected the President of the United States.

But the fun doesn’t end there… turns out the character’s creator has made a pact with the Devil to do a Pinocchio and make his creation real. Larry Wilson (Beetlejuice) will write the script and executive produce with the short’s creators Florence Deygas and Olivier Kuntzel.

And lastly on the mini slate at Sci-Fi is the live-action adaptation of the classic Larry Nevin books Ringworld. The mini will take place in an artificial world built in the shape of - you guessed it - a ring.

The heroes of the story explore the Ringworld and discover that the civilization that built it mysteriously disappeared… or did they. Bob Mandel and Mickey Hyman are listed as executive producers.

On the scripted series development front for 2005-2006: Joel Shumacher has signed-up to direct and exec produce a pilot from an untitled script written by April Smith (Chicago Hope). The show is described, believe it or not, as Sex & the City meets V. Can’t wait.

Sci-Fi is doing a live-action series based on the Japanese anime series Witchhunter Robin. The show focuses on a witch who signs up to be part of a team of cops who are charged with bringing in witches who abuse their powers. The pilot will be written by Joe Menosky (Anonymous Rex). Menosky will also serve as exec producer alongside Roy Lee (The Ring) and Doug Davison.

Also in the works is a show called Eureka, about a town inhabited by the world’s geniuses, and Motel Man, about mundane objects that hold special powers. Andy Crosby and Jamie Paglia will write Eureka while Christopher Leone and Laura Harkcom will write Motel Man.

And in the perfect timing department, the network announced plans to adapt the comic book Amazing Screw-On Head into a half-hour animated series. Mike Mignola, who also created Hellboy, also came up with Screw-On Head. Hellboy opened in the US this past weekend to US$23million+ box office. Jason Netter will exec produce with Bryan Fuller who will also write the script.

The network is working on a WWE-style wrestling show called Monster Smash that will focus on 'monsters' who fight against each other in the ring to see who will reign supreme.

The show will also feature the backstage lives of the monsters as they fall into various backstage dramas. Creature feature wiz Stan Winston is developing the show along with Phil Gurin of The Gurin Company.

Finally, Sci-Fi is developing a reality series based on an alien planet. The show, Stranded, will feature two teams who have 'crash landed' on another planet. The teams will then go through a series of extreme challenges with the winning team getting an unspecified cash prize.

Mike Vorndran
6 Apr 2004
© C21 Media 2004

[onodrim]

Well that's cool. I always really liked the show whenver I caught an episode, and I always felt they shouldn't have taken it off the air. At least they're giving the fans back a little something, which is more than a lot of cancelled shows get.

[Harshaw]

I can't wait. The final episode felt so damn flat.

[Mephisto2]

Farscape was like that Muppets segment, Pigs in Space.

Just silly.

My 2c's


Mr Mephisto

[ForgottenKnight]

Sweet! I can't wait to see it.

[spectre]

WOOHOO!

I'm glad they're finally going to be able to finish it properly.