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AyuRocks
03-31-2003, 07:28 PM
Press Release Source: SCI FI Channel

Minis Are Big on SCI FI
Monday March 31, 5:01 pm ET

NEW YORK, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- SCI FI Channel, which has almost single-handedly revived the miniseries format for television in the past few years, has announced two new major original miniseries projects in development for '04. They include:
6 Days 'til Sunday (6-hour miniseries) -- SCI FI takes another yet
scheduling risk with this big event miniseries, which unfolds over six
consecutive nights. In this intriguing premise, J.T. Neumeyer stumbles
upon a mysterious briefcase foretelling his own gruesome murder -- in
just six days. In this high stakes race against time, J.T. scrambles to
uncover the truth and change the course of the future -- if he can.
Brought to SCI FI by executive producer David Kirschner (Frailty, Earth:
Final Conflict and The Flintstones), the miniseries is produced by Lions
Gate Films (USA's The Dead Zone).

The Thing (4-hour miniseries) -- It's everywhere. It's anything. And it
can't be stopped. SCI FI re-envisions the terrifying suspense classic,
The Thing, which follows a team of American scientists who discover a
bloodthirsty alien life form in the frozen expanse of Antarctica. Swift,
stealthy and cunning, this shape-shifting monster assumes the appearance
of its victims with the aims of earning the scientists' trust -- and
decimating the group from the inside. Who can be trusted, and who is a
threat? The miniseries, written by Gary L. Goldman (Minority Report,
Total Recall), will be distributed by USACE.


Recent highlights of SCI FI's big event miniseries strategy include ratings winners like the Emmy award-winning Frank Herbert's Dune, the 10-night alien adventure Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN, and the critically-acclaimed literary adaptation of Children of Dune -- all of which have met with unprecedented success for the Channel.

Other previously announced projects currently in development include Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, A Tale of Two Cities, MYST, The Forever War, as well as Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy series and literary classic Left Hand of Darkness.

Additionally, SCI FI begins production April 1 on the 4-hour miniseries Battlestar Galactica, a re-imagining of the classic series. The project stars Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, among others, and is slated to premiere in December '03.

SCI FI Channel transmits fantastic images to 80 million human homes. Launched in 1992, SCI FI features a continuous stream of cinematic hits, new and original series, and special events, as well as classic sci-fi, fantasy, and horror programming. Check out SCIFI.COMŽ, the SCI FI Channel's award-winning Web site, at www.scifi.com. SCI FI Channel is a program service of Universal Television Networks, part of the Universal Television Group (www.universalstudios.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), the U.S.-based film, television and recreation entity of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.


Ashley

LadyCrais
03-31-2003, 10:53 PM
Other previously announced projects currently in development include Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, A Tale of Two Cities, MYST, The Forever War, as well as Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy series and literary classic Left Hand of Darkness.

This is the list that invariably intrigues me. KSR's Mars series was a facinating set of books. Red Mars is actually the first of a trilogy, I believe it was, with Blue Mars and Green Mars. I'm confused by MYST (is that going to be based on the computer game?) and The Forever War (somehow missed this one), but all of the others seem extremely ambitious. Guess I'm confused on Tale of Two Cities, too. Could have sworn that was classic literature that had nothing to do with science fiction. But then the Earthsea trilogy and The Left Hand Darkness. Lord I wish these were being made by people that would actually do them properly and with respect!!

Kerlin
03-31-2003, 11:06 PM
A Tale of Two Cities? A TALE OF TWO CITIES???????? <sputter>

The others have potential, but I agree with you LadyCrais...after reading some of the reviews of the disaster that was Riverworld, I don't have a lot of faith in Sci-Fi Channela adaptations of classic sci fi books.

Hegemon
03-31-2003, 11:33 PM
As much as it pains me (argh) to say this, I'm kind of looking forward to the MYST and Forever War mini-series, if they happen. The Forever War is one of my fave books, and while I doubt Skiffy would do it justice, I'd love to see it. Then again, I'm kind of scared that they'll butcher it all the way to hezmana and back.

Dante'-wants-blood!!
04-01-2003, 12:46 AM
I agree that a few of these titles sound as if they have promise. But then I am all too quickly reminded of Skiffy's programming intentions; nothing too deep or involved; senseless action. That I am sure will sum up in a nutshell what this group of miniseries will be all about. Squandered potential.

And I have said this before when it comes to Skiffy's miniseries line-up and all the spending they are doing on all this other bullcrap they are throwing at us:

Why in the hell didn't they just introduce season four of FS as a miniseries event and publicize the hell out of it like they are doing with everything else? They could have taken just a few "small steps backwards" into the plot in order to introduce the show's premise to a new audience, while reacquainting the loyal fanbase briefly. They wouldn't have lost any viewers in a move like this. Especially if it were done for the sole purpose of growing the fanbase. Idiots. I'm rambling again. Sorry.

I just can't wait for these mini-series! It is going to be a blast to see how badly they butcher John Carpenter's "The Thing".

Stargate2077
04-01-2003, 04:17 AM
LadyCrais: Myst is going to be a movie based on the computer game series. It has the promise to be very, very good. The creators of Myst are not people who talk down to viewers. They respect a viewer's intelligence. Because of the nature of the movie that they would create, I am willing to be the movie is on the backburner since it does not fit Sci-Fi's new direction.