SciFiAndTvTalk

The Syfy Channel's 2010-2011 Original Movie Line-Up

DURING the 2010-11 season, the Syfy Channel, one of television's most prolific producers of original films, presents a talent-rich Original Movies line-up showcasing stars such as Hill Harper (CSI NY), Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings), Lauren Holly (NCIS), Colin Ferguson (Eureka), Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet), Jewel Staite (Stargate Atlantis), Alan Cumming (Tin Man), Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives, Doctor Who), Lance Henriksen (Aliens) and Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch).

Movies include Riverworld (previously reported on SciFiAndTvTalk), starring Alan Cumming in an epic adventure based on the award-winning series of Philip Jose Farmer novels; The Phantom, and 24 of the popular Stargate Original Movies, including Red, a re-imagining of the Little Red Riding Hood story starring Felicia Day, Roger Corman's Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts (also previously reported along with Red on this blog) and Lake Placid 3 - sequel to the most watched Saturday Original Movie ever (Lake Placid 2). Below are some highlights of these upcoming projects.

The Phantom - Four hours, premieres in June - Ryan Carnes stars as The Phantom and his alter ego Chris Walker in this re-imagined version of the classic comic strip transported to present day. A favorite costumed hero for more than six decades, The Phantom relies on his wits, physical strength and skill with weapons instead of superhuman powers. Isabella Rossellini guest-stars in a villainous turn as Lithia, the head of an experimental mind control program. Also starring are Cameron Goodman as Chris Walker's love interest, Renny, and Sandrine Holt (24, The L Word) as The Phantom's trusted advisor, Guran. Director: Paolo Barzman (The Last Templar). The Phantom is produced by Muse Entertainment and RHI Entertainment.

Mega Piranha - Premieres Saturday, April 10th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. An unusual alliance tries to stop a mutant strain of giant ferocious piranhas that have escaped from the Amazon and are eating their way to Florida. Stars Barry Williams, Tiffany and Paul Logan.

Mothman - Premieres Saturday, April 24th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. The legendary West Virginia monster returns to exact revenge on five childhood friends who covered up an accidental killing. Stars Jewel Staite.

Mongolian Death Worm - Premieres Saturday, May 8th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. A treasure hunter who has been searching for a tomb containing Genghis Khan's treasure teams up with an humanitarian UN health worker to stop the Mongolian Death Worms, awakened by experimental oil drilling in the Mongolian desert. Stars Patrick Flannery and Victoria Pratt.

Witchville - Premieres Saturday, May 22nd @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. This first Syfy production in China is a sweeping fantasy tale of a kingdom besieged by witches who are sucking the very life out of the land. Only the new King can save his people, but his mysterious connection to the Red Queen of the witches may be his undoing. Stars Luke Goss.

Lake Placid 3 - In this sequel , a game warden, his wife and their young son move into their aunt's cabin on Lake Placid, where the lonely boy stars feeding baby crocodiles he views as pets. Three years later, the crocs start looking at him and his family as their food. Stars Colin Ferguson.

Stonehenge Apocalypse - When the giant stones of Stonehenge begin to move and cataclysms occur all over the Earth, only a fringe radio talk show host who's an expert in UFOlogy figures out that the ancient monument is really alien technology. Stars Hill Harper, Misha Collins and Peter Wingfield.

The Lost Future - In a post-apocalyptic world, both humans and animals have devolved back to the Stone Age. But a small group of wise men knows there is knowledge in the mysterious artifacts called books. Now they have found a young man who knows how to read. If they can defeat the warlord who rules the city where the books are kept, the young man can help them defeat the disease that decimated the world and restart the civilization. Stars Sean Bean.

Scream of the Banshee - An archeology professor unearths a dangerous relic, releasing a creature that can kill with her bone-splitting scream. Stars Lauren Holly and Lance Henriksen.

Morlocks - An experimental time machine opens a window into the future and mutated monsters (the Morlocks) use it to come back to the present and go on a murderous rampage. Stars David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis).

8th Voyage of Sinbad - Sinbad searches for the golden head of the long lost Colossus of Rhodes and, instead, finds an island where the mythical Minotaur still rules, protecting a vast treasure. Sinbad and his crew have to battle the creature and its minions to get the treasure and save their own lives. Stars Manu Bennett.

Riverworld Comes To Syfy In April

THE Syfy Channel sets sail this spring with the 4-hour Sunday night television movie Riverworld, premiering Sunday, April 18th from 7-11:oo p.m. EST. Starring Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica/Dollhouse), Laura Vandervoort (V/Smallville) and Alan Cumming (Tin Man), Riverworld is an epic adventure featuring familiar characters in an unfamiliar world and is based on the popular award-winning series of novels by Philip Jose Farmer. The TV miniseries is produced by Reunion Pictures and will be distributed internationally by RHI Entertainment, who teamed up to also bring TV audiences two other Syfy Channel TV events, Tin Man and Earthsea.

Matt Ellman (Penikett) is an American war zone reporter who has witnessed the worst of humanity first-hand, yet still grasps on to an optimistic spirit. When a suicide bomber kills both Matt and his fiance Jessie (Vandervoort), they awaken separated in a mysterious world where everyone who has ever lived on Earth seems to have been "reborn" along the banks of a seemingly endless river. Determined to locate Jessie, Matt joins forces with a 13th century female samurai warrior named Tomoe (Jeanne Goossen) and American novelist Sam "Mark Twain" Clemens (Mark Deklin). Together they sail upriver in search of its source, and to discover where they are and who put them there. Alan Cumming guest-stars as the mysterious "Caretaker."

Who Is The New Host

[caption id="attachment_1513" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="David Tennant takes over the reins this fall as the new host of the PBS series Masterpiece Contemporary. Photo copyright of the BBC"][/caption] ONE of Britian's most popular actors has been named the new host of Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS. David Tennant, well-known to fans of British television for his acclaimed star turns as Doctor Who and Casanova, will make his hosting debut when Masterpiece Contemporary returns in October 2009 with Endgame, a drama about the last days of apartheid. "How many actors can nail the characters of Casanova and the Doctor?" says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton. "David's talent, versatility and unique appeal make him the perfect match for Masterpiece Contemporary. "I'm honored to be hosting the series that introduced American audiences to programming such as Casanova and He Knew He Was Right," says Tennant. "And it's a thrill to join the Masterpiece family of hosts: Masterpiece Mystery!'s Alan Cumming and Masterpiece Classic's Laura Linney." Tennant's award-winning run [2005-present] in the classic British Sci-Fi series Doctor Who has gained him worldwide recognition. His other iconic television roles include the flirtatious vicar Reverand Gibson in Masterpiece's He Knew He Was Right; the infamous 18th-century lothario Casanova in Masterpiece's rollicking miniseries, playing the youthful counterpart to Peter O'Toole; and the down-at-the-heel Inspector Peter Carlisle in the cult hit Blackpool. His career, launched in his native Scotland, extends to film and stage. Millions of moviegoers know him as Barty Crouch Junior in the blockbuster Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Ginger Littlejohn in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things. He recently worked with Bill Nighy, Romola Garai and Julie Christie in the Stephen Poliakoff film 1939, which will be released later this year. A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), Tennant developed his stage career at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He recently completed a successful run as Hamlet with the RSC. Masterpiece Contemporary will return in October 2009 with Endgame, a gripping new drama about the final days of apartheid in South Africa. Starring William Hurt (Damages), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things, American Gangster, Serenity) and Jonny Lee Miller (Eli Stone, Trainspotting), Endgame premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. As noted above, photo of David Tennant is the copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!