Tag: Russell T Davies

'Miracle Day' End of 'Torchwood?'

Posted on by Tom Powers

Torchwood-Miracle-day-Barrowman_1Although TORCHWOOD: Miracle Day has been obtaining pretty good ratings on STARZ and the BBC, the American cable channel may not be signing up for another season of shows, according to Entertainment Weekly.
 STARZ’s CEO Chris Albrecht told reporters at a TV Critic’s function that a renewal is far from certain.

“Torchwood is not one of the shows we went into thinking about a yearly return. It’s about Russell T Davies… he has a lot of things on his plate. If Torchwood is at the top of his list, that will effect the future of Torchwood.”

As Davies told BBC Wales in Feburary that he may have had enough of science fiction for the present, this doesn’t auger well for the series.

“It’s interesting as to how long I can stay in the science fiction world. Personally I think I’m coming to the end of it now and I’ve saved the world and blown up the world too many times, and I hope I leave Torchwood in rude health, and then I’ll probably move onto something else then.”

This does not rule out TORCHWOOD continuing in other hands, however, as he also added the following.

“It’s time to write something just where people talk in kitchens, at least for me. But I hope we literally leave the franchise in in a very strong position that other writers come in and take it over.”

 

Starz's 'Torchwood' Trailer

Posted on by Tom Powers

Official Starz TORCHWOOD: MARACLE DAY Trailer.
Premieres July 8th at 10:00 pm ET/PT on STARZ.
Captain Jack ( John Barrowman) is back, and so is  Gwen Cooper (Eva Myles), who has not been noticably softened by motherhood.
Kai Owen also returns as Gwen’s husband Rhys Williams, and new cast members in the UK/US coproduction include Mekhi Phifer,  Bill Pullman, Alexa Havins, Lauren Ambrose, and Arlene Tur,

Bill Pullman Joins 'Torchwood'

Posted on by Tom Powers

IND031AYAccording to Deadline, Bill Pullman (INDEPENDENCE DAY) has been cast as a regular for BBC/STARZ ten-episode mini series, TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD.
The role? Oswald Jones, a murder and pedophile released on a technicality and enlisted to help in the worldwide crisis that threatens Earth. This extreme-seeming character supposedly regrets his past actions, but is also “dangerous and clever”, filled with “lust and rage”. Press materials suggest he is  “fated to become the centre of terrifying events”.
An odd move by series creator Russell T Davies.  Hopefully, he and Bill Pullman can make the character work in a way that won’t alienate the audience.

'Torchwood: The New World' -Casting

Posted on by Tom Powers

NUP_102123_0256Deadline is carrying the news that Mekhi Phifer (ER, I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) has been cast to play the role of  Harvard educated, high-powered C.I.A agent Rex Matheson in STARZ’s TORCH WOOD .
This new (fourth) season of the BBC DOCTOR WHO spin-off returns John Barrowman as the immortal Captain Jack Harkness,Eve Myles as Welsh former police officer Gwen Cooper, and Kai Owen as her husband, Rys Williams.
Also confirmed is  Arlene Tur (CRASH) in a recurring role; a surgeon named Vera Juarez.
TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD   will shoot in U.S. and the U.K., a joint production of BBC Wales and the STARZ cable network. Former DOCTOR WHO producer/writer Russell T Davies is overseeing production with co-producer Julie Gardner.

R.T. Davies on 'Torchwood'

Posted on by Tom Powers

torchwood_4_cropCollider.com inteviewed producers Russell T Davies (DOCTOR WHO) and Julie Gardner about the new international version of TORCHWOOD, which is being made by the BBC and the U.S. STARZ Network.
 Asked about the the themes of the 10-part miniseries, TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD, Russell Davies had this to say.

” It’s just heartfelt, really. What I mean by that is that the central issue goes to the heart of every one of us and every family. The questions it asks will cut right beneath your everyday life of work, sleep, food and family, and goes right to the heart of who we are and why we’re here. I think we’ll challenge you and disturb you.
It’s the intensity of that ambition that’s the most fascinating thing. That sounds really vague, but the moment you know the initial core concept, everything I’m saying will make sense and start to click into place in your brain. You’ll say, “Oh, right, I see where this is heading.” The questions never really stop. That’s the fun of it.”

Davies confirmed that the storyline will cover all 10 episodes.

“A whole 10 hours is a long time for a story to roll, but there’s that much power behind it. It’s self-generating, really. It’s very exciting. It’s a proper, intelligent examination of some very big issues.
…The monster-of-the-week stories were brilliant, in their day, in Torchwood, but having discovered this new format, I think it’s more ambitious and intelligent. It allows you to stop and take pause and look at the world. Those ambitions are admirable. While I’m on the show, that will never stop. While the show keeps running, we’ll never go back to the week-to-week stories.”

Talking about the international flavor of the new show, Julie Gardner revealed the following:

“We have some U.K. settings and stories, and then a lot of it moves to America. That’s what we mean by international. There’s a big global threat at the heart of it, and we see the implications play out in those two countries, predominantly.”

Davies also confirmed that lining up with the show’s two-year hiatus, about that much time will have passed in the characters world, as well—though the script is not specific about that subject.
Read the entire article at the link above.

U.S. Writer Joins TORCHWOOD

Posted on by Tom Powers

TorchwoodWEBJane Espenson, veteran of US SF/Fantasy TV (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) told Blastr.com that she will be writing “about a third” of the new mini-series TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD.

Espenson says she looks forward to:
“Working with Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner and the others. Writing for a show I already adore, for characters and actors I already respect. Writing for a show with roots in another country—this is a new experience for me, and I’m loving it.
I love blending tones—mixing the broadly comedic moment in with the darkly dramatic one can heighten both. Torchwood is a show that welcomes that kind of moment. I’m also really eager to play with all the culture-clash material that comes naturally out of the show’s pedigree. And I’m especially eager to write material that pushes the boundaries of what can ordinarily be done on television.”

This new ten-episode mini-series is a co-production between the BBC and the U.S. STARZ Cable Network.
Read the full interview at Blastr.com

Russell Davies on TORCHWOOD

Posted on by Tom Powers

russelltdaviesSFX is featuring an interview with creator/producer Russell T. Davies on the upcoming BBC / Starz co-production of TORCHWOOD.
Davies assured readers that the new international version of TORCHWOOD will reamin true to the often dark and adult-oriented DOCTOR WHO spin-off, though this season will be largely set in America and countries other than the UK.

“For faithful viewers you’ll see the same people in the same world, following on. Though it also starts from scratch, because there’s a brand new Starz audience there sitting waiting to be scooped up, new viewers coming to it.
But I restarted DOCTOR WHO in 2005 from scratch, so I know what I’m doing. I did it with Children Of Earth, actually—that practically tripled TORCHWOOD’s audience, and no one said to me that they were lost.
So it’s a new starting point and yet… as a faithful viewer you do get that awful feeling when something reboots or revamps that you’re not comfortable anymore, and there’s none of that. It’s still Gwen, it’s still Jack, and hopefully more. You’ll feel very comfortable with it.
And there’s great new American characters coming into it. Bear in mind, of course, Captain Jack, he’s American as well, so it doesn’t seem quite as alien, I think, as if you suddenly introduced American characters into Emmerdale (a long-running rural soap opera or something!”

Davies has written the first episode, and may possibly write others, though he says he’s happy being primarily the showrunner.

'Torchwood' To Be Re-lit

Posted on by Tom Powers

TorchwoodWEBThe BBC announced today that
BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Worldwide, and Starz Entertainment (the US cable network), will form a three way co-production partnership that will produce a new season of TORCHWOOD.
The 10-episode fourth season will be written by a staff led by creator/producer, Russell T Davies (DOCTOR WHO).
Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter will also return as executive producers.
John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) will reprise their roles, along with new cast members.
It’s not yet known if Gwen’s husband Rhys Williams (Kai Owen) will return, though it seems likely, as all the other Torchwood team characters have either been killed off, or shown to have moved on to other things.
The article goes on to say that rather than be shot and take place largely in Cardiff, Wales, this new season will have an international flavor, with stories taking places in the U.S. and other locations around the world.
Ben Stephenson, the Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, said: “…Torchwood will burst back onto the screen with a shocking and moving story with global stakes and locations that will make it feel bigger and bolder than ever.”
This announcement should come as some relief for TORCHWOOD fans, following previous disappointing news that Davies’ recent efforts to bring the show to the U.S. as a Fox Network series had fallen though.