TRAILER: Comic "Dark Matter" turned into space opera thriller for SyFy

Wow! It's literally RAINING SPACE OPERAS TODAY! At least I'd heard about this one. Dark Matter is based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name by writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie. I've got the entire series (stored somewhere!) and thought it was...okay. The concept was pretty awesome, but the comic didn't hold my interest over time (I probably should give it a re-read). But I have to say, this trailer breathes new life into that initial concept, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Synopsis:

In Dark Matter, the crew of a derelict spaceship is awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets.  

"Their Memories are Gone, but the Truth Survives."

As with Killjoys, the show's cast looks to be largely Canadian. It seems SyFy is (smartly) relying on our neighbors to the north for fresh faces and likely huge production discounts. They're also heavily promoting that it's from the producers of Stargate--another smart move to woo back SG-1 and SG-U fans, in particular.

And is this show also gameable? Yes, totally! In fact, I've run something with a similar hook, a few years ago at Con of the North. Same basic concept: a team of specialists awakens aboard a spaceship--stocked with massive firepower--already en route to an unknown planet. Though, for mine, I gave them a captain who knew what was going on. :) (What do you want, we only had a 3 hour time slot!)

Dark Matter premieres Friday, June 12 at 9pm central.
That makes me wonder actually if Killjoys and Dark Matter going to be back-to-back space opera anchors (!!!) 

Another unanswered question--does this mean Dark Horse is continuing the comic (which was initially a miniseries)?

• Official SyFy page
• IMDB listing 
• Wikipedia entry (warning: SPOILERS)

Add a few more to the pile: previous articles on space opera projects (at SyFy, other networks):

• Killjoys, space bounty hunter series
• Farscape return still possible
• Star Wars Rebels, The Expanse, Ascension

TRAILER: "Killjoys" a new bounty hunter space opera from SyFy!

"From the producers of Orphan Black." SOLD. Looks like sorta Firefly-ish too me, as well, which is always welcome.

Synopsis:

Killjoys follows a fun-loving, hard living trio of interplanetary bounty hunters sworn to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants throughout the Quad, a distant system on the brink of a bloody, multiplanetary class war.  

"Keeping the Peace, Keeps Them in Business"

So that's a great set-up for a space opera campaign right there. Stars mostly Canadians and British (I think?) so not well known actors in the US (a plus!). Makes sense since it's a joint production between SyFy (an American company owned by Universal/NBC) and SPACE, a Canadian cable network. Also, that's not Shawn "Iceman" Ashmore in the video. It's his twin, Aaron. Weird.

Anyway, looks awesome! I look forward to mining all the potential inspiration for games!

Killjoys premieres Friday, June 19 at 8pm central.

• Official SyFy page
• IMDB listing 

Previous articles on space opera projects (at SyFy and other networks):

• Farscape return still possible
• Star Wars Rebels, The Expanse, Ascension

BIG news for space opera: Star Wars Rebels, Farscape, The Expanse, and more!

Looks like there's a ton of great news after Wonder Con (in Anaheim, CA) this weekend. Disney/Lucasfilm released some amazing concept art that hearkens back to the ol' Ralph McQuarrie aesthetic from the original movies. This followed a quick glimpse at a scene from the show:


Man, it's great to hear some classic John Williams Star Wars again! Here's a selection of the concept art:

Farscape isn't so far away

Meanwhile in another corner of the galaxy (the Wonder Con convention hall), Farscape creator/producer Rockne O'Bannon confirmed an earlier report that a Farscape film will be happening. So now we've heard it from the man himself!

SyFy wakes "Leviathan" for new series

In other news, the SyFy channel has picked up the rights to develop the space opera series of novels set in "the Expanse" by James S.A. Corey (the pen name for collaborating writers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). They're calling their approach to the series"A Game of Thrones" in space. The source material is already pretty well developed and includes "Leviathan Wakes," "Caliban's War," and "Abaddon's Gate," with a fourth title due in June, "Cibola Burn". Time to get to the bookstore folks!

UPDATE: The James S.A. Corey Twitter account has posted SyFy's official webpage for the series. Not much there yet, so better bookmark it and go back: http://www.syfy.com/theexpanse. The account also confirmed that the show is in production!

 

"Ascension" series announced at SyFy

This is welcome news, as there seems to signs of a shift from inside SyFy to return to developing more space opera-focused stories for television. They'd previously announced back in March a new series called "Ascension" which also takes place in space. and they describe as:

Part Battlestar and part Downton Abbey, it follows the 100-year-long space shuttle of colonists fleeing an Earth threatened by the early Cold War.

SO MUCH SPACE OPERA! CAN YOU HANDLE IT?!

Just to make sure your head goes full supernova, here's the latest behind-the-scenes clip for Guardians of the Galaxy:



Enjoy!


Star Wars images via  io9.com and StarWars.com.

A Farscape movie is coming!

You know who would be right at home next to the Guardians of the Galaxy? These guys:

I loved Farscape when it debuted on the SciFi Channel (yeah, back before it showed wrestling and became "SyFy"). Every week was space opera adventure with aliens designed and operated by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. You couldn't ask for a more winning combination in my book.

It was sort of rudely ushered off the airwaves in 03, and left many plot holes dangling until they were finally resolved in a TV movie (Peacekeeper Wars). It'll be nice to see what the cast and crew can do on the big screen.

Here's a plot synopsis from Tor.com:

It turns out that Monjo has also written a screenplay for what would likely be a Farscape television movie. Set to follow the awesome comics written by our favorite Keith R.A. DeCandido, the film would follow John and Aeryn’s son, D’Argo (or Little D, as we will always refer to him). Because their baby was exhibiting a set of interesting powers that made him a magnet for galactic villains, we find that John and Aeryn hide their son on Earth to grow up. Now the kid is 19 and ready to go into space with his parents.

D’Argo in space! With his amazing super parents! And then they could go visit Chiana and Rygel and Noranti...

THEY COULD GO VISIT SCORPIUS.

This makes me glad to hear. The more I think about it, the more I feel like GotG embraces the same wa-hoo-go-for-broke madness that made Farscape a fan fave.

Maybe Guardians is the forgotten love child that late-90s SciFi Channel had with Marvel Comics? Who knows. All I can say is it's been a spectacular week for amped up, gonzo space-fi!