Thursday, August 07, 2008

Frak attack: Sci Fi releases details on 'Battlestar Galactica' movie

Sci Fi just put out some info about the "Battlestar Galactica" TV-movie, which is being shot after the series wraps production -- and will apparently air after the series finishes airing. The relevant text after the jump...
New York, NY – August 7, 2008 - SCI FI Channel today announced an all-new Battlestar Galactica special event, set to air in 2009 following the conclusion of the series and then released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment shortly thereafter. Directed by series star Edward James Olmos and written by Battlestar Galactica’s Jane Espenson, the two-hour event will begin shooting in Vancouver at the end of this summer. The cast includes Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Starting before the events of the miniseries, our story focuses on familiar characters including Cylon Number One, known as Cavil (Stockwell), Resistance Leader Sam T. Anders (Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Douglas). In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn't account for one thing: survivors. During the chaotic aftermath of the destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away, and among the resistance fighters who were left behind.
So it sounds like they'll be using the movie to fill in at least some of the blanks with regards to the Final Five -- specifically, my query about how in the world they all survived not only the initial genocide, but also Anders' time in the irradiated Cylon-occupied wastelands of Caprica, the resistance on New Caprica, etc., etc., etc. And I'll never object to something which puts a spotlight on Aaron Douglas as Chief Tyrol.

14 comments:

  1. Wow. That press release does not fill me with confidence.

    I'm mean, it's BSG and Aaron Douglas is great, so I'll watch it. But I'm a little worried stuff like this will dilute the original product, y'know?

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  2. Excellent. It is safe to say that with projects lined up, Tahmoh Penikett, Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff won't be part of the cast (except maybe cameos). What about Michael Hogan and Mary McDonnell? Are they working on anything right now?

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  3. And why would additional movies "dilute the product"? Razor was not great, but it was fine as a filler and didn't hurt Galactica in any way.

    More Galactica is better than nothing and it sounds like this one will be more interesting than Razor, since we know so little about pre-genocide Colonies.

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  4. Oh, I agree. I just think that if Battlestar ends perfectly, a stand alone movie aired afterward might soften that impact a little.

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  5. Hasty continuity spackle sense... TINGLING!

    Although I'm excited about this project, particularly given the creative team, it makes me feel slightly nervous that it's a stopgap patch. The rumors I've heard about the final reveal of Cylon #1 is that it's so out there it doesn't really make much sense. To do a Cylon focused prologue seems a good way of fixing that mess if fans react to it badly.

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  6. Cant wait to see the show.

    Sad the BSG will have to end soon.

    Check out this AUDIO podcast about Battlestar.

    http://www.hotconflict.com/blog/2007/11/battlestar-gala.html

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  7. "Hasty continuity spackle sense... TINGLING!"

    Hah! I'm gonna have to save this quote for later. Well, I think it would be kind of ridiculous if they didn't answer some of those questions, so devoting a whole movie to it could be kind of the admirable thing to do, even if it's not the cleanest storytelling in the world.

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  8. how is this going to fit against the upcoming release of Caprica, which also seems to be a prequel to the series?

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  9. how is this going to fit against the upcoming release of Caprica, which also seems to be a prequel to the series?

    As I understand it, Caprica is set a long time in the past, maybe a century earlier, showing the creation of the first Cylons.

    This movie sounds like it will probably take place the week before the attack on Caprica. So there won't be any overlap at all.

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  10. Caprica is set 51 years before Battlestar so it won't really conflict with this new BSG movie.

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  11. this sounds like it would be perfect screening now - filling in the gaps while we wait for the end

    afterwards? not so sure

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  12. I wouldn't worry about this diluting the original project-- given the creative people involved-- but would worry that it doesn't add much to the story or characters. But since we don't yet know all that much about Anders or Cavil before the attacks, it may be very interesting to see that in the context where we know that they're Cylons (and how the final five are different from the other seven models.)

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  13. I have no idea who any of these people are - except for Jane and Dean (and, oh yeah, Olmos)

    I've known Jane was writing for BSG but considering my "love" for SciFi, I'd rather read her blog.

    I'm sure BSG is as awesome as you all say, it's just not my genre. Jane's great, though.

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  14. Some things transcend genre. This is one of them. There are none of the hoary cliches that turn so much of popular SF to mush (techno-babble solutions, sledge-hammer moralising) and none of the light bubble gum adventure that characterizes much of the decent stuff.

    If you're a fan of well written TV you really ought to give it a try or at least discount it for better reasons than not-a-fan-of-the-genre and not-enough-people-I've-seen-before.

    Particularly if you're sure its awesome.

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