a byte of sci fi

AMC’s television adaptation of The Walking Dead comic book is a go!  The cable network has greenlighted the series for six episodes and Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone) has been mentioned for the lead role of cop Rick Grimes . . . NBC may be struggled as the fourth place network, but at least it still has a since of humor about the struggles of poorly rated cult shows.  The network is currently working on a pilot called Our Show which is about a group of sci fi fanboy’s who decide to film their own version of their favorite show which was cancelled.  Word is that a write-in campaign and online petition have already been started to keep this show from getting cancelled . . . The producers of Smallville, recently renewed for a tenth season, are suing Warner Bros. and the CW.  They claim that the two have sold the show below market rate, thus short-changing the producers of the show . . . Christine Woods, who plays FBI agent Janis Hawk on ABC’s FlashForward, has signed on to play the lead in a comedy pilot for NBC.  Does this indicate that she has little faith in the future of her ABC show which is currently struggling in the ratings?  The NBC deal is in “second position”, meaning if FlashForward gets renewed she will stick with it, but then she may know something we don’t.

Star Wars fans may not be excited about news of the new Pre-K focused series that George Lucas recently announced, but they are eagerly awaiting the live-action television series currently in the works.  And work is progressing on making this series a reality.  Even though it has no name and no network at this point, allegedly work on the scripts is at an “advanced stage” and production will begin once the scripts are done.  The series takes place between the events of Episode III and Episode IV of the movie series and will have mostly new characters and follow more of a soap opera format, focusing on personal dramas.  Supposedly, George Lucas is financing the initial run of episodes himself . . . An upcoming episode of FOX’s Fringe that will air in May will have the entire cast breaking out into song and dance routines.  It will air during a Glee-themed week and supposedly the musical numbers will be part of delusions experienced by Walter Bishop . . . Apparently the BBC’s Merlin is not enough King Arthur for television because Starz has issued a press release stating that they will produce a series titled Camelot which will adapt Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.  This series will emphasize the romance of the Arthurian tales and “will weave authenticity into a modern telling of the Arthur legends that is relatable to contemporary audiences.”  This production will come from the same creative teamed that brought us The Tudors, Life on Mars and Torchwood . . . And speaking of Torchwood, John Barrowman has said that he hopes they do not change the sexual orientation of his Captain Jack Harkness character in the upcoming American version for FOX: “The last thing I would want would be for Jack to become this heterosexual, straight hero. He’s an omnisexual guy. He likes men, women, aliens, whatever. I think we should continue going down that route.”

James Callis, best know to genre fans as Dr. Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica, will join Syfy’s Eureka as a recurring character in that show’s fourth season.  He will play a former resident of the town who returns much to everybody’s chagrin.  He will also have a romantic interest in Alison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield).  Eureka returns with new episodes this Summer . . . Syfy just greenlighted the pilot for a series titled Three Inches, a Mystery Men-type show about a man who can move objects three inches with his mind and who tries to band together other superheroes with less than spectacular abilities.  This joins Alphas, another superhero project that Syfy has in the works.  Also, that network has said that it would like to expand its Battlestar Galactica franchise further but has not announced any concrete plans at this point . . . Peter Graves, well known to many genre fans for the 7 years he spent on Mission: Impossible, died this past weekend at the age of 84 . . . HBO’s vampire series True Blood has set a date of June 13th for the premiere of its third season . . . Elizabeth Mitchell has confirmed that she will appear again on Lost before that series wraps up.  She did not say what her character would be doing, though, and with that show’s current sideways world, anything is possible . . . Brannan Braga (FlashFoward, Star Trek: Voyager) has signed a deal with FOX TV and may work on a Science Fiction project for them.