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Updated: SCI FI Casts Riverworld, Phantom movie events
The lead roles in Riverworld and The Phantom—two of SCI FI Channel and RHI Entertainment's recently announced trio of four-hour movie events—have been cast and production on both back-door movie pilots began on Monday in Canada.
Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse) and Laura Vandervoort (Smallville) star in Riverworld, which is based on the popular award-winning series of novels by Philip Jose Farmer.
Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives, Doctor Who) has been cast in title role of The Phantom and as his alter ego, Chris Walker, in the re-imagined version of the classic comic strip, which has been updated to the present day.
Penikett plays Matt Ellman, an American war reporter who has witnessed the worst of humanity first-hand, yet still retains an optimistic spirit. When a suicide bomber kills both Matt and his fiancee, Jessie, played by 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 (Jeananne 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 (Tin Man) guest-stars as the mysterious Caretaker.
Riverworld is set to air in 2010 and is produced by Reunion Pictures; it is shooting in Vancouver.
In The Phantom, Isabella Rossellini guest-stars as the villainous 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) as the Phantom's trusted advisor, Guran.
A favorite costumed hero for more than six decades, the Phantom relies on his wits, physical strength and skill with weapons over superhuman powers.
Production began in Montreal under director Paolo Barzman (The Last Templar). The Phantom is slated to air in 2010 and is produced by Muse Entertainment. RHI will distribute internationally.
By windowlicker at 3:07 AM ON 04/07/09
Does anyone remember the Billy Zane version of the Phantom? Uh huh.....Nuff said.
By WShawn at 3:57 AM ON 04/07/09
Anyone remember the "adaptation" of Riverworld SciFi did in 2003 starring Brad Johnson, who played a dead astronaut reborn on the Riverworld? I vaguely do, and it blew.
By planettom at 4:49 AM ON 04/07/09
This time around, unlike the 2003 version: Remember, there are no horses on the Riverworld!
By Thom at 7:03 AM ON 04/07/09
The Billy Zane film of THE PHANTOM didn't blow. It was a decent film.
By PALADIN at 7:54 AM ON 04/07/09
RE: "Does anyone remember the Billy Zane version of the Phantom? Uh huh.....Nuff said."
--HA ! It`s been my observation that generally people who sum up their perspective with a trite 'Nuff Said' really don`t have anything to say, but want to pretend that they have said something.
No one since Stan Lee has been able to carry off 'Nuff Said' as a worthwhile comment, and Stan only employed it as a closing for his lengthy 'Soapbox' full of information.
You Sparky, are NO Stan Lee !
The Billy Zane Phantom effort was a fun film--it had excellent production values and some good action. It was by no means great, but nonetheless, a fun film. Much like the Alec Baldwin 'Shadow', or perhaps even ''Watchmen'; it`s a case of an entertaining film not reaching the expectations of some fans and thus being eternally damned, rather than simply appreciated for what it is worth.
By Gumbercules at 8:04 AM ON 04/07/09
Anything that brings us more Helo is A-OK in my book.
By Jimmy at 9:28 AM ON 04/07/09
Since both of these films are also being done as backdoor pilots does this mean Penikett is heading his bets that Dollhouse will be cancelled, or his underused character written out?
While both of these will be remakes I have to say I'm interested in seeing what they do with them. Syfy's previous Riverworld mini-series was truly bad; maybe this time around they'll treat the source material with a little more respect. As for the Phantom, there is certainly the kernel of a good idea here depending on the quality of the production.
By thanatos at 5:05 PM ON 04/07/09
Piggy Lazlo as The Phantom???!!!
That whirring noise you hear is Lee Falk spinning in his grave.
By Gill Avila at 6:05 PM ON 04/07/09
I tend to think of The Phantom as specific to the 30's and 40's. Updating him to today--doesn't work for me. I can't see the modern Phantom running around on a horse and with a trained wolf named Devil. What will he have? A motorcycle and a trained falcon who could keep up with the bike instead of a wolf? How long is the commute from his hidden stronghold? How will he hide it from Google Earth? Will he have a cheap-ass version of the Phantom cave? No--no matter how you mold and decorate it, it's still going to be a piece of steaming fecal matter in the tradition of SciFi's (Never Syfy!!) "re-imagining" of "Flash Gordon."
Oh--referring to these as "back-door" pilots. That's appropriate, considering that "back-door" is a slang term for--well, you can guess...
By AngryJonny at 10:26 PM ON 04/07/09
Interesting they decided to switch Guran's gender. She is normally a he in The Phantom comics, isn't she... uh... he?
But I like Sandrine Holt in Black Robe and the second Resident Evil movie.
(Is it me or has Captcha been getting even harder to see lately?)
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AngryJonny:
Interesting they decided to switch Guran's gender. She is normally a he in The Phantom comics, isn't she... uh... h...More »