Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments
Survivors
11/19/08 – SCI FI Wire reported that Adrian Hodges is writing and
producing a new BBC version of the cult post-apocalyptic TV series
Survivors. The show follows the adventures of a small group of
people who have survived a devastating virus that has wiped out most of
the world's population. But the original series used that virus as a
MacGuffin of sorts, covering the rapid spread of the plague during the
opening credits and never explaining more about it. By contrast, Hodges
said that the 2008 version will not dispense with the virus that
quickly, but will in fact deal with it as an important part of the
show's mythology. "What I've done in this series, without giving too
much away, is make a virus a bit more of an ongoing part of the story,"
Hodges says. "I've certainly begun to explore more than Terry Nation did
as to why the virus might have happened and what it might mean for the
future and things like that." The BBC has so far ordered six episodes
of Survivors. Hodges hopes that a second season will be
commissioned soon, to begin production early in 2009. As for how long he
hopes the series will run? "I'm not going to do the Lost thing
and say I have stories for 10 years, but I certainly have destinations
for these characters that I believe we could get at least three seasons
from," he says. Survivors begins airing on British television
with a feature-length episode from 9-10:30 p.m. Nov. 23 on BBC One. It
moves to its regular 9 p.m. Tuesday slot on Nov. 25. Airdates in North
America have not been announced.
7/9/08 - British writer and producer Adrian Hodges said recently that a remake of the 1970s post-apocalyptic TV series Survivors will be ready to broadcast this fall on the United Kingdom's BBC One and that more episodes are going into production. The show could eventually find its way to the United States on BBC America, he added. Hodges said that he is very happy with the remake of the show, which originally debuted in 1975 and is based on the SF novel by Terry Nation. Survivors tells the story of a group of humans who survive a virus that has wiped out most of the world's population. Julie Graham, Max Beesley and Nikki Amuka-Bird are among the ensemble cast, as is Freema Agyeman, who plays Martha Jones on Doctor Who and Torchwood. The original Survivors aired for three seasons.
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