Torchwood Announces Details, Title Change

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John Barrowman, Eve Myles

According to the DoctorInTheMedia, The BBC announced that it’s 10-episode co-production with the U.S. STARZ cable network has undergone a name change, while also revealing further detials and revised character descrpibtions,
Formerly called TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD,  TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY features an interesting premise. 

“The plot of Miracle Day is the most explosive TORCHWOOD storyline yet. One day, nobody dies.
All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging— they get hurt and sick— but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four months’ time, the human race will cease to be viable.
 But this can’t be a natural event — someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking ‘What is Torchwood?’, he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.”

 Character Descriptions:

REX MATHESON (Mekhi Phifer)
He’s the golden boy. The embodiment of the American dream and has been all his life. Harvard education, Rex is destined for success and could make a fortune in Wall Street or Hollywood, but he chose the C.I.A. because he believes in justice and will fight for it. He can talk his way into anything, then charm his way out, fast. This may be just what he needs as he joins forces with Jack and Gwen to fight a global mystery behind “Miracle Day” that has them racing from one crisis to another, dodging assassins, blackmail, corruption and conspiracy, from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai.
CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS (John Barrowman)
Jack looks like a hero. He’s handsome, witty and subversive with a killer smile. But there’s a reason for that glint in his eye. His dashing style hides a secret. Truth is Jack Harkness is immortal, the only one of his kind. He once ran the Torchwood Institute, a British organization dedicated to fighting the strange and bizarre. But Torchwood closed down, and Jack disappeared, to start yet another of his many new lives. When a new, epic danger affects the whole planet, Jack finds himself back at the center of events, fighting not just for his own life, but for everyone on Earth.
GWEN COOPER (Eve Myles)
Gwen once lived the ultimate double life —the funny, salty, earthy woman who loves home and family, combined with the tough, ruthless warrior, who loves the thrill of the fight. She was the heart and soul of an organization called Torchwood. She was a defender of the human race. But now she lives in seclusion, with her devoted husband Rhys and baby Anwen, knowing that one day trouble would come calling again.
When events surrounding “Miracle Day” push Gwen to the limit, she’ll need to call on resources she never knew she had and make the most terrible decisions, on behalf of all mankind.
ESTHER DRUMMOND (Alexa Havins)
Esther is an innocent, in a world of assassins, liars and zealots. She got where she is with the C.I.A through diligence and application. Hard work keeps Esther focused but she still dreams of active duty as a field agent serving her country. The dream is going to happen faster than she thinks and in no time at all, Esther finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex, living off the grid, gun in hand, fighting a global conspiracy against enemies ranging from big business to the state. It’s a tough, brutal, hard lifestyle where survival is hard won and life-changing choices have to be made.
OSWALD DANES (Bill Pullman)
Well-educated and a former school teacher, Oswald’s a convicted child killer, both guilty and unrepentant. But when Oswald survives his own execution, he’s given a whole new life. The most infamous man in the world, he becomes the most provocative figure in modern media. He’s a flare, reviled yet mesmerizing, whose very existence embodies how the world changed on “Miracle Day”.
DR. VERA JUAREZ (Arlene Tur)
An attending surgeon in Washington D.C., she’s smart, fast talking and hard working, Vera is on the frontline of medical care on “Miracle Day”. As the world crisis grows, Vera’s surgical and ER experience sees her recruited to advise on government think-tanks until she has to make a moral choice of enormous consequence. Sexy, confident and passionate, Vera’s life is soon inextricably tangled up with Rex’s.

 TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY will air in July.

Bill Pullman Joins 'Torchwood'

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

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'

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.

Torchwood: The New World – Character Details

Torchwood_JackThe STARZ Cable network has released details and character backgrounds for their co-production with the BBC of TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD.
In addition to new character Rex Matheson, they include bios of Captain Jack and Gwen, for viewers and press not familiar with the DOCOTOR WHO spin-off.

“When C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy, he finds himself unearthing a threat which challenges the entire human race.
The answers seem to lie within an old, secret British institute, known only as Torchwood. But Torchwood was destroyed, years ago, and the keys to the institute are held by its only two survivors—former Police Officer Gwen Cooper, who has long since disappeared along with her husband and child, and the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness, a man whose history seems to stretch back centuries.
With Rex under attack from all sides, in both the US and the UK, he soon discovers there are forces at work within every level of society, determined to stop Torchwood’s return. As a chain of events across the world links together the most disparate and unlikely individuals—including a surgeon, a killer, senators and CEOs—a new Torchwood team takes shape. But this time, the threat is much closer to home, as they realize that their greatest enemy is mankind itself …
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS (John Barrowman)
Jack looks like a hero. But he’s so much more than that …
He’s American, handsome, with a killer smile and a classic coat. But you don’t expect heroes to be this much fun. He’s witty, fast, subversive and there’s a reason for that glint in his eye—he’ll sleep with women, he’ll sleep with men; if aliens invade, he’ll sleep with them too. Got a problem with that? Tough!
His dashing style hides a secret. There are mysteries about Jack—a man going under his name seems to have a history stretching back to World War 2, or even earlier, to the Nineteenth century, the Eighteenth …
Truth is, Jack Harkness is immortal. A fixed point in time and space. The only one of his kind. For thousands of years, he has never been able to die. When killed, he comes back to life—seconds later. Though his tragedy is, he feels every death. It hurts—and so does the passage of time. He can never love anyone for too long, because he will always lose them. As a result, he’s lived many lives. He’s been a conman, a thief, an adventurer—though more a rogue than a villain, because his perspective on human life makes him appreciate this world all the more.
Jack once ran the Torchwood Institute, a British organization dedicated to fighting the strange and bizarre. He was king of his own little world for a while, the happiest he’d ever been. But Torchwood fell. His friends were killed. The Institute closed down, and Jack disappeared, to start yet another of his many new lives. And yet …
The only thing that could call Jack Harkness back is his unstated love for Gwen Cooper. And when a new, epic danger affects the whole planet, Jack finds himself back at the center of events, fighting not just for his own life, but for everyone on Earth. But this time, are the stakes too high?

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Torchwood - Eve Myles

GWEN COOPER (Eve Myles)
All Gwen wants is a quiet life. Honest.
She’s Welsh, lives in seclusion, far away from the city, on a cliff top in the wilds of South Wales with her devoted husband, and baby Anwen—it’s a rural idyll.
And it’s a lie. Gwen is in hiding, because she once lived the most extraordinary life. She was the heart and soul of an organization called Torchwood, a freelance band of fighters who fought the strange and unexplained. She was a defender of the human race.
But no more. Torchwood was destroyed. Her colleagues died, or fled. And Gwen hid herself away, for the rest of her life, to protect her loved ones. But knowing, just knowing, that one day trouble would come calling again.
She lives the ultimate double life: the funny, salty, earthy woman who loves home and family, combined with the tough, ruthless warrior, who loves the thrill of the fight. She’s both selfish and selfless. And never doubt it—when Gwen’s in a crisis, she is magnificent. Gun in both hands, baby strapped to her chest, she’ll run and fight and never give up.
It’s passion, in the end: Gwen’s all about passion. She loves her man, she loves her child, she loves this mad old world, and maybe she loves Captain Jack Harkness just a little too much. But when the events of this story push Gwen to the limit, she’ll need to call on resources she never knew she had, to take action and make the most terrible decisions, on behalf of all mankind.
REX MATHESON (Actor TBD)
He’s 28, the golden boy. Has been, all his life. Harvard education, fast-tracker in the C.I.A., destined for success. Though he’s never taken it easy—Rex hustles, seduces and campaigns to get where he is today. He can talk his way into anything, then charm his way out, fast. He’s made a lot of enemies, but his friends and lovers would defend him to death.
His choice of career is significant. Someone like Rex could make a fortune in Wall Street, or Hollywood. But choosing the C.I.A. says a lot about him: that for all his swagger, he does believe in justice. And will fight for it.
Slowly but surely, we see him make friends. He’s thrown together a bunch of people known as Torchwood, the only people who might have the answer to a global mystery. To Rex, at first, they’re a bunch of freaks. Welsh women and World War 2 Captains, what’s that about?! But as they race from one crisis to another, dodging assassins, blackmail, corruption and conspiracy, from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai, Rex forges friendships in the heat of fire. He learns to trust his new colleagues. And they realize that this dangerous, dazzling, reckless man is the best friend they could ever have, in a world going to hell.
They frighten us, men like Rex. We wish we were him; we never will be.”
 

Torchwood: The New World

torchwood_4_cropThe Hollywood Reporter relays the following information from the Television Critics Association fall press tour about the Starz/BBC production of the upcoming TORCHWOOD miniseries.
First off, the ten episode arc will be called TORCHWOOD: THE NEW WORLD. This is apt, because a goodly portion of the series will be shot in the U.S. with location in Washington D.C. and Los Angles, begining in January.
The show will feature two new American characters, CIA agents  Rex Matheson and Esther Katusi,  yet to be cast.
Creator/Producer Russell T Davies (DOCTOR WHO) explains that Matheson  “is an entrance into the new story.”

 “He’s a CIA agent. The fact that TORCHWOOD has been off the air for a while and is also brand-new to a lot of people is actually being used as a part of the story in that Rex has no idea what Torchwood is and has to investigate Torchwood. Torchwood was destroyed, disbanded. It’s like a legend now. It’s like something that ceased to exist a long time ago that’s spoken of only in whispers.
So Rex is drawn into this, has no choice but to be drawn into this through complications that you will see in the story. Also, he’s at the CIA. We also have a watch analyst at the CIA called Esther, who is now friends with Rex but works with colleagues of Rex’s. The two of them become embroiled in the Torchwood legend and investigate what Torchwood is or was.”

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Russell T Davies

 Davies also confirmed that female lead Gwen Cooper’s (Eve Myles) husband Rys Williams (Kai Owen) will return, and will be part of the team. And they’ll both be caring for their baby, as we last saw Gwen six months happily —one of the few rays of light in the dark finale of TORCHWOOD: CHILDREN OF EARTH.

 “So the sight of Gwen Cooper with baby in one arm and gun in the other is going to be our poster, I hope, because that’s just going to be irresistible.”