TV Series
Latest
Earthworm Jim is set to return in a new TV series
The cult classic '90s game Earthworm Jim is coming back to TV as a new series.
Netflix is acquiring the rights to Roald Dahl's books
Netflix is acquiring the Roald Dahl Story Company (RDSC) and rights to the author's entire catalog.
Hasbro is making Transformers and My Little Pony adaptations for Netflix
Hasbro is known for making action figures for films by Marvel and Disney, but after acquiring Peppa Pig producer Entertainment One (eOne) it has big plans to make movies and TV shows out of its own toys and games.
Showtime is turning the story of Uber into a TV series
It seems Showtime reckons the turbulent behind-the-scenes story of Uber is good fodder for a TV show. It's developing a limited series about the ups and downs of the ridesharing company. Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien will write and produce the show, based on Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.
Neil Gaiman signs exclusive deal with Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios has signed an exclusive deal with Neil Gaiman, giving it first dibs on TV adaptations of the prolific author's work. Because Amazon operates its own streaming business, it means that all new series will be launched globally on Amazon Prime Video.
Hulu is reportedly making a TV series based on 'Myst'
It's a good day for point-and-click fans. After the news that you can now play Grim Fandango Remastered on your morning commute, it seems like the '90s classic Myst is getting its own TV series. According to Deadline, a drama series that explores the origin of the game's eponymous island is coming to streaming service Hulu. For those that don't know, Myst was a huge hit in its day; its innovative storytelling methods and stunning graphics made it the best-selling PC game of the decade.
'Sonic Boom' to debut on Cartoon Network in fall of 2014
A new, computer animated television series staring Sonic the Hedgehog and pals will premiere on Cartoon Network sometime in the fall of next year, Variety reports. In Europe, the show will debut on French children's networks Canal J and Gulli. The show, provisionally called Sonic Boom, is being produced by Sega of America and French animation company Genao Productions. The initial production run will produce 52 11-minute episodes (aimed at children aged six to 11) that will chronicle the adventures of Sonic and Tails as they battle Dr. Eggman, natch. No footage of the show has been released, but the above teaser image does at least confirm Amy's presence in addition to Sonic and Tails – we're still trying to put a name to the center-right silhouette. (We're guessing it's Knuckles with a gym membership.) The degree to which chili dogs are involved has yet to be ascertained.
Twitter rumored to be pitching in-feed video shows to studios
Twitter has been making a giant push for expanded tweets from content providers. It's only a short logical leap from that to Twitter providing the content itself, and that's exactly what AdWeek claims may well happen. Its unconfirmed tipsters have the microblog taking a page from YouTube by pitching Hollywood movie and TV studios on "several" original shows that would live in followers' feeds, including the seemingly inescapable reality show. While Twitter wouldn't have someone in the director's chair, it might still play a role by letting viewers affect the show as it's happening -- and of course, running ads. Silence is the only official response to the rumor from Twitter so far; don't plan your viewing schedule just yet, but do brace yourself in case Twitter breaks out a Horse ebooks cameo to boost ratings in mid-season.
Defiance beefs up its TV cast with big-name stars
Next month the pilot for Syfy's Defiance will commence filming, and the station has announced several additional cast members joining lead star Grant Bowler in the sci-fi post-apocalyptic series. As the show and Trion World's upcoming MMO will share the same world and influence one another, it's quite possible that gamers could be running into virtual versions of these characters. Four new actors have been announced for the show. The first is Julie Benz (Dexter, Angel), who will be playing Mayor Amanda Rosewater, a leader of a small mining town. Stephanie Leonidas (MirrorMask) is Irisa, an alien warrior who's adopted by the lead's character and raised as his bodyguard and daughter. Finally, Tony Curran (Gladiator, Blade II) and Jaime Murray (Warehouse 13, Dexter) are coming on as an alien husband-and-wife team fleeing the destruction of their home world. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Vudu adds TV shows to its rental catalog, but only some are in HD
Here we go again with a good news / bad news announcement from Vudu, as it's added a nice catalog of TV shows to its library for rent and/or purchase. The bad news however, is that despite having the 1080p / 5.1 audio HDX technology we've come to know and love, it's currently only offering a small subset of them in anything other than standard definition. Like other online stores, there's an odd situation where some things are a decent value (season one of The Walking Dead is $26.99 on Blu-ray at Amazon, $15.99 on iTunes in HD, and $16.99 on Vudu HDX) and others are not (season six of Weeds is $27.99 on Vudu HDX, $23.99 on Blu-ray at Amazon and $38.87 on iTunes) so shop carefully. Given time the library will probably even out more in quality and price and once Vudu is available on more devices (and hopefully in HD on the PC at some point) there will be more reasons to consider it as a VOD option.
My Movies plugin for Media Center will add support for TV shows in March
Brian Binnerup, developer of the long running My Movies plugin for Media Center, has announced plans to test support for TV series beginning in March for "select users" with more than 2,500 points accumulated. Users who have been looking to slot DVD/Blu-ray series boxed sets next to their movie cousins will finally be able to do so, with the cover art and metadata delivered via the web. An official 4.0 release will come afterward, possibly by the end of March.
Russian Stalker TV series teased
A teaser site has revealed that a TV series based on the Stalker FPS franchise is being developed for Russian television. The site is called "KinoS.T.A.L.K.E.R." ("kino" meaning "film" in Russian), has both an English and a Russian section, and was linked to by Ukraine's GSC Game World's Facebook profile. There's also a trailer on the site, subtitled in English, though it's hard to tell what's going on with all the series standards in there -- including mutants, darkness, and explosions aplenty. Still, the site clearly states that there is a "TV series coming soon" based on the property, which itself takes influence from Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 film, as well as the old science fiction story "Roadside Picnic." Stalker fans will probably be happy to hear that the series will mutate into yet another form of media.
Epix TV network to deliver real pilot based on a fake Steve Jobs
It looks like our old friend, the Fake Steve Jobs, is doing pretty well for himself. A popular blog, a well-received book, and now -- with any luck, at least -- a new TV series. Currently the Epix network (still only available on FiOS TV) is teaming up with the money men at Media Rights Capital to deliver a pilot called iCON. Featuring a character named Tom Rhodes, "a composite of Jobs and other Silicon Valley titans," the story is described as "a savage satire, a study of ego, power and greed." The man behind it all is none other than Larry Charles (of Borat, Bruno, and Seinfeld fame) who will direct the thing and oversee the script being written by Dan Lyons (Fake Steve Jobs himself). As you might have guessed, the announcement is pretty nutty: "We are attempting to do nothing less than a modern Citizen Kane," Charles said. "A scabrous satire of Silicon Valley and its most famous citizen. We needed a bold environment to nurture such a vision. One that was free of pre-conceived ideas. And Epix made it clear they were that place. They asked us to make their home our home. And we have." Since no one we know has actually seen Citizen Kane, we can't tell you if that's a good thing or not. But if it turns out to be anything like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, we love it already! PR after the break.
Some TV series reverse, go from Blu-ray back to DVD-only releases
Given the high price of Blu-ray boxed sets, the news from Video Business that some series are going backwards from having Blu-ray editions to DVD only really isn't that surprising. Specifically cited are Rescue Me, Damages and Nip/Tuck, with numbers indicating the average title sells only 5% of its copies in HD. Series that appeal to early adopting Blu-ray owners and HDTV fans like Fringe, Lost and Terminator:SCC naturally do better on Blu-ray, regardless of price, but with the exception of fanatics who will either pay up or wait for a sale, it's not surprising that most people would rather keep an extra $15 - $30 in their pocket and just grab it on standard def.
The Daily Grind: Does playing an MMO pique your interest about its origins?
MMOs are rarely stand-alone entities; there are exceptions of course but most are created thanks to a fan base from some other medium. Some, like WoW, are based on older games (often completely different types of games like an RTS or RPG) with a rich mythology that lends themselves perfectly to transcend its original form and become an MMO. Others, like Age of Conan and Star Trek, have their origins in novels, film franchises or even a TV series. I know, I know, I'm still waiting and living in hope of that Firefly MMO just like the rest of you. So my question for you is this: Do you play an MMO because of where it came from? Are you a Trekkie who is dying to captain your own ship? Did you play Warcraft back in the days of The Frozen Throne and gravitate naturally to the MMO? On the flipside, did the lore of LotRO make you want to read Tolkien's books? For you, what came first, the origins or the game?
Dofus' Wakfu - the TV series
As stated, Dofus is an MMO with an outstanding and appealing aesthetic; one that I've often wished were available to just watch, like a cartoon. Well, apparently Ankama Games and I were on the same wavelength, because sure enough, there's an animated show being produced as we speak!Wakfu - the TV series follows the adventures of Yugo, a young boy with a strong sense of justice, and his four adventurous friends, each one of them a different warrior type from the world of Dofus. Take a gander at the trailer -- it's a fantastic mix of European and Asian animation styles and perfectly captures the sometimes alien, sometimes whimsical World of Twelve. No release date has been offered, but I'm keeping all channels open for the announcement!
Exclusive footage from the "Lost" game
ABC's Jimmy Kimmel managed to get his hands on an advance copy of the Lost video game. "One of the guys at the office played it all day today", and as you'll see, he certainly seemed to enjoy it.
