Caprica Blu-ray update & BSG Dragon Con panel

A longer round of updates coming later, but for now:

Amazon France has the French Caprica complete series Blu-ray marked "all regions," while the complete series DVD, also out in France on October 25, is a region 2 (European) release (see listing).

Acteurs : Alessandra Torresani, Brian Markinson, Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Magda Apanowicz
Réalisateurs : Eric Stoltz, Jeffrey Reiner, John Dahl, Jonas Pate, Michael Nankin
Langue : Français, Anglais
Sous-titres : Français
Région : Toutes les régions
Rapport de forme : 1.78:1
Nombre de disques : 5
Studio : Universal Pictures
Date de sortie du DVD : 25 octobre 2011

Comic-Con reports and new interviews with Jane Espenson and Sasha Roiz

Tons of updates today, most of them from Comic-Con.

Let's start with Sasha Roiz - he makes his first appearance on Warehouse 13 tomorrow (Monday, 9/8c, Syfy).

CP24 has a recent video interview with him and he also did a Q&A with the press that is finally up on several sites. I think Starry Mag has the least edited version of it. The interview is mostly about Warehouse 13, but he also talks about his other new projects and Caprica. Snippets:

Blood & Chrome update, new film for Esai Morales, Leah Gibson in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, new interviews with Sasha Roiz and Scott Porter

Airlock Alpha has the first report from the Battlestar panel at Comic-Con. Richard Hatch, Kevin Grazier, Michael Nankin and Lili Bordan were there, and Michael Taylor had to skip because of surgery. Get better soon, Michael Taylor.

Here is what is happening with Blood and Chrome:

The pilot is not expected to be completed until at least October, especially since the sets were extremely minimal, Bordan said. Hatch told the crowd that Syfy plans to air "Blood & Chrome" as a movie event first, and a backdoor pilot, similar to what was done with "Caprica." It looks like the network is not spending the money to do a miniseries, like it did with "Battlestar Galactica."

Also, unless there was a misunderstanding at the panel, they are/were exploring the possibility of showing it in 3D. Read the whole article for more details.

Updates: Husbands, Comic-Con & cast roundup

One chaotic round of updates coming up.

Jane Espenson has announced the new project she has been working on with Alessandra Torresani, Brad Bell (Cheeks) and Sean Hemeon, in an interview with CliqueClack. Yes, it's Husbands, a web series about "two guys, a newly dating couple, who celebrate a new marriage equality law in Vegas and wake up married." A couple of snippets from the interview:

KM: What do you hope to become of Husbands in the long run? If it simply stays as a free series on the web, will that satisfy not only you but the actors?
JE: Honestly, I would love to see Husbands turn into a network television show. I’m loving the freedom that we’re enjoying as we put it together ourselves, but there’s something about it that feels so accessible — it’s Ab Fab, Dharma and Greg, Will and Grace … it feels to me like it has the broad appeal of so many network shows that I’ve enjoyed, and I’d thrill to see it get the loving care that — right now — only a big broadcast network can afford. If it stayed online, that would be fun too, because it would continue to be our little dream show that we could follow wherever the story takes us. (...)

What do you have planned at Comic-Con this year to show off the new series?
We have a projected launch date in September, so we’re going to be going down to just start getting people talking. The cast and I will be there — so thats me and Brad Bell, aka “Cheeks”, and Alessandra Torresani, and Sean Hemeon. We’re going to be signing and giving away special “wedding invitations” that direct people to our site where they can find more information about the show, and some backstage peeks and hints. And thus the groundswell begins!

For updates and to see the first official promo pic for the show, visit the blog on the Husbands official site.

Blood & Chrome pilot greenlit, Caprica 1.5 DVD available on Amazon

Mo Ryan at TVSquad.com posted the news earlier today about the pilot for Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (Spartactica for short) getting the green light. The press release is at the end of the post. Here is the part that concerns Caprica's future, from Mark Stern:

"To be really categorical about it, this is not about finding something else so we can get rid of 'Caprica," Stern said. "I don't know the fate of 'Caprica' yet, but, if anything, 'Blood & Chrome' going to series would only be a great opportunity to pair it with something.'

And we'll find out exactly what the new round of conceptual ping-pong with the Battlestar verse means for Caprica by November 15. If someone bothers to mention it, that is.

Interestingly, TVShowsonDVD.com reports that the Caprica Season 1.5 DVD can already be pre-ordered on Amazon. With six episodes left to air, no, the DVD details haven't been released yet.

In other news, a Battlestar Galactica exhibition opened this weekend at the Sci Fi Museum in Seattle. Io9.com has a cool video about the building being gutted to get the vipers and raider inside, and there is a short clip from the BSG Media Panel on YouTube.

Cast & crew updates: 

Esai Morales has joined the cast of Lives of the Saints, an ensemble drama that "tells the intertwining stories of a group of Angelenos seeking redemption for past mistakes, only to find that forgiveness comes from unlikely places." They start filming on November 13 in Los Angeles.

Fort McCoy, with Eric Stoltz, will be screened at the Hollywood Film Festival this weekend. 

Hiro Kanagawa is doing another play in Vancouver, this time with Battlestar's Alessandro Juliani.

Peter Wingfield has told his fans that he will guest star on an upcoming episode of CSI: Miami.

Two guest appearances to check out on Monday at 9 pm: Paula Malcomson is on The Event (NBC) and Tricia Helfer on Lie to Me (Fox).

Jorge Montesi is on Outlaw tomorrow (Saturday, 8 pm, NBC).

Patton Oswalt is developing a new sitcom for Fox.  

SpoilerTV has a teaser for next week's episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, with Katee Sackhoff. A week after that (Thursday, Nov. 4), Brian Markinson guest stars on the show.

Hawaii Five-0, with Grace Park and not-so-dead James Marsters possibly coming back, has been picked up for a full season.

Kevin Murphy's Hellcats will be getting the back nine episodes too.

The Age has a report from Jane Espenson's recent visit to Australia that has some interesting bits about Bob Harris' Beyond Caprica guide.

And here is the press release for Blood & Chrome (bolding some parts in case anyone wants to cross-reference them in the Battlestar timeline):

Syfy is readying an exciting all-new chapter in the Battlestar Galactica saga with a greenlight for Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome from Executive Producer David Eick, it was announced today by Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head of Content for Universal Cable Productions. Universal Cable Productions will produce the 2-hour pilot with Syfy utilizing cutting edge CGI and virtual technology.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome takes place in the 10th year of the first Cylon war. As the battle between humans and their creation, a sentient robotic race, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a brash rookie viper pilot enters the fray. Ensign William Adama, barely in his 20s and a recent Academy graduate, finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the Colonial fleet… the Galactica. The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade long war in favor of the desperate fleet.

“The ‘Galactica’ universe as re-imagined by Ron Moore and David Eick is rich with possibilities and backstory,” said Mark Stern. “We jumped at the chance to revisit the William Adama character and explore this exciting chapter in the BSG narrative which falls between the events of the original series and the prequel, ‘Caprica,’ currently airing on Syfy.”

“While maintaining the themes of politics, social propaganda, and the timeless question: what does it mean to be human? – ‘Blood & Chrome’ will also return us to the authentic, relentless depiction of combat and the agony and ecstasy of human-Cylon war, which was the hallmark of ‘Battlestar Galactica’s’ early seasons,” said David Eick.

Michael Taylor wrote the teleplay from a story by Eick, Taylor and Bradley Thompson & David Weddle.

Video interview: Ron Moore and Esai Morales (MCM Expo)

Unthinkable has posted a really cool video interview with Ron Moore and Esai Morales from the London MCM Expo last week.

Topics covered:

• The differences in production of Caprica and Battlestar
• The teams of writers on the two shows
• Who has final word on the episodes
• The end of Battlestar
• Ron's cameo in the Battlestar finale
• If there will be more BSG DVD sets in the future
• Kevin Smith possibly directing an episode of Caprica
• How close we are to Cylon technology
• How Patton Oswalt became involved in Caprica
• How much Ron considers duality to be part of the show
• If Caprica has a bigger budget for special effects than Battlestar did
• Filming Zoe and Cylon Zoe
• The Caprica cast
• Filming scenes in New Cap City
• When Caprica is coming back

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan and Razor soundtrack is out today

From Bear McCreary:

This Tuesday, February 23rd, La-La Land Records will release the final “canon” Battlestar Galactica soundtrack: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan and Razor. This unique compilation, representing the two straight-to-DVD scores that were left off the Season 4 soundtrack album, will complete any BSG fan’s collection.

To celebrate this, and the recent release of Dark Void’s original video game soundtrack, I’m doing a CD signing of both records this Saturday at Dark Delicacies!

DARK DELICACIES
4213 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 2pm
www.darkdel.com

If you can’t make it to Burbank, fear not. You can order personalized signed copies directly from the Dark Delicacies website. International orders are accepted, too! So, get your signed CDs of my two most recent albums and crank up the jamz! -- Bear's blog

Edward James Olmos talks about Caprica and the next Battlestar film

TV Squad interviewed Edward James Olmos this week. You can read the entire article here.

When I asked if he had any plans to return to the 'BSG' franchise in some capacity, Olmos said he wasn't sure and that being a part of the show was a "once in a lifetime experience." He also mentioned director Bryan Singer's upcoming 'Battlestar' film project, produced by original series creator Glen Larson.

"The next thing they're doing with it ['Battlestar'] is working with Glen Larson," Olmos said. "Glen, who created the original franchise, will do it his own way, and I don't think we'll participate in that. I'd love to help him, but I don't think we'll get to." (...)

When asked about Syfy's 'BSG' prequel series, 'Caprica', Olmos said he "liked the pilot very much," and he was looking forward to seeing the prequel's story progress.

Can 'Caprica' repeat 'BSG's success to become one of the boldest and most innovative series currently on TV?

"It's too early to tell," he said. "I haven't seen all of the episodes to air, but it'll be interesting to see."

Casting rumour: Another BSG alum

A new casting rumour surfaced in TV Guide's weekly spoiler column and apparently there has also been some talk of a Final Five storyline on Caprica. Not sure how much sense this makes at this point, especially with everything that's been said so far, but here it is:

Will we ever see the world of Battlestar Galactica come crashing into Caprica? — Tally
MICKEY: I will bet you one meeellion cubits that we will. Caprica executive producer Jane Espenson tells us that the new show will address the overlap through the backstory of the Final Five, who, as you remember, started their "lives" on Caprica. "If you actually do the math, the [human-Cylon] war starts about five years from where our characters are in Caprica," Espenson says. And what's this? The producers have already contacted Spartacus' Lucy Lawless about reprising the role of D'Anna on Caprica. Watch your back, Eric Stoltz! -- TV Guide

Just for reference (regarding the Final Five, not D'Anna), here is what Michael Trucco said just the other week:

Do you think Anders could end up being on "Caprica?"
Well, there is certainly the possibility because Eric Stoltz plays the owner of the Caprica Buccaneers and as we all know that Anders was a Caprica Buccaneer. So if he was a sleeper agent Cylon the whole time wouldn't it make sense that he was this superstar athlete recruited to play for the Buccaneers to turn their season around?

And Eric Stoltz's character wanted to keep him forever?
Right. And then this guy keeps playing every season but he stays the same age. I'm like the Brett Farve of the Buccaneers. It'll be Season 22 and I'm still killing it. No, nothing has ever been discussed. I'd love to do a little cameo but I think they are going to keep the two entities separate. -- Chicago Now

More interviews: Alessandra Torresani & David Eick

A couple of really good interviews emerged online in the last couple of days. IGN talked to Alessandra Torresani and Techland.com has an interview with David Eick. Some snippets below.

Torresani:

IGN TV: You've got a really fascinating part here. What was the audition process like?

Alessandra Torresani: They didn't give me the script at first, so I went into casting, directors and everything, and [it was] not a cold read, but just a script, and I just knew there was me, the regular girl, and then this avatar. At the time, we knew what an avatar was, but you know, you read a script and then suddenly you're talking to yourself. You're like, "Ehhh, this is a little weird." So it was very confusing to me, but it immediately hit me, as if I was born to do this. I just thought, "You know what? This avatar, Zoe, is a child. Everything's brand new." And that's how I treated her. She doesn't realize she can talk, and then she learns to talk; you'll see that in a couple flashbacks. You'll see how she first learns to walk; it's like she's a child.

IGN: Is it interesting for you now, knowing that is the future of your world and pondering what role your character plays in that?

Torresani: Yeah, obviously, I'm the reason why Caprica died. I can't think about that right now, because I'm just thinking about the birth of the Cylon and how it's still just a 16-year-old girl stuck in a 7-foot robot body.

IGN: That is a fascinating aspect of the show. I was talking to David Eick earlier and saying how you hear "16-year-old girl trapped inside a killer robot" and it could come off really goofy, but it doesn't. The second episode establishes the technique where we see the Cylon the characters see and then cut to you, Zoe, trapped inside, watching what's going on. What's it like playing those scenes where you are the robot? You don't have any dialogue, obviously; so it's a lot of reactive stuff.

Torresani: It's really hard to show emotion without saying a word. I do this huge scene with Eric [Stoltz] and Paula [Malcomson], and Paula's just emotional and crying to Eric that her daughter's gone. And I'm there and I have to watch this and not be able to talk and not be able to touch, and it just has to be all in my eyes. And that was very difficult, because, are you kidding me, if I was the daughter and I saw my parents and I hadn't seen them and I'm stuck in this body I would wanna grab them and have them hold me. And that's what so sad about the whole character; that's a whole other aspect of it.

IGN: I've watched the first three episodes, and there are some moments where you, as the Cylon, get to show off your strength. Have you gotten to do a surprising amount of action in the series?

Torresani: I'm a blackbelt in tae kwon do, so it was funny, because when I did the show they didn't know that, and then slowly as this got picked up, I was like, "By the way, I'm really good at kicking butt. Really good." And I've always wanted to. You look at Jessica Alba in Sin City and all these girls, and you're like, "I can do that! I'm better! I want some action stuff!" And so they found that out, and they actually wrote a bunch of stuff of me getting in girl fights and kicking and roundoffs and this and that.

IGN: Can you hint at all about where the story is gonna go?

Torresani: I play five characters. I have lots of guns. I wear red lipstick. I can go back and forth from different worlds. That's about all I can say. I wear really cool heels!

IGN: You have two wonderful actors playing your parents. What's it like to work with them?

Torresani: Gosh, it's absolutely brilliant. It's great. I mean, Eric Stoltz; I don't even need to say anything on that. He's just phenomenal. And the fact that he got to direct an episode is just great, because he's the ultimate actor's director. He gets it, and he really, truly acts as the father of our show, on and off screen. And then Paula's just a riot. She's just genius at what she does, and when she gets in that role, she is in that role. You're like, is this Amanda Graystone I'm talking to or is this Paula Malcomson? It's inspiring. It really makes want to try extremely hard to impress them as well as myself and the fans.

IGN: [Laughs] Lastly I wanted to also ask you about another show I was a big fan of, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. That was a one-episode guest appearance ["The Turk"] where you had to play a pretty heavy, intense character.

Torresani: I didn't even know how intense it was until after. Like, that character went throughout the whole season [after I was gone]. Yeah, that was a crazy character. I don't think I've ever had to commit suicide on a show.

IGN: That's what surprised me - that they didn't stop her from killing herself.

Torresani: It was a really deep character without even saying a lot. There was a lot going on there. That was a fun show. That was really fun. People always say, "Oh, don't you wish you had stayed on longer?" But, you know what, I'd rather do a quality character than quantity, and I'd rather have this one-episode arc that's so intense that continues on the show than some bulls**t, stupid, "I'm in a hundred episodes but I play a stupid character." I'd rather something with depth. I never knew how many people would actually recognize me from that, but it was sci-fi. But I didn't realize how huge that show actually was.

IGN: With that and now Caprica, has it given you a new perception of science fiction?

Torresani: I love it. I think it's so deep and so now. People say, "Oh, it's science fiction, it's crazy." but, you know, it's really not. We're 20 years away, if that. Ten years away from having Cylons walking this Earth. Honestly, we are. We're very close, and I think it's great. -- IGN

Eick:

I'm now three episodes into the show, and I'm surprised by how closely these episodes snap together. Clearly this was an intention, to go deep into these characters and to interweave the episodes – how did you decide that this is the direction you wanted to go after BSG?

It was really an unusual beginning to the process. Both Ron and I had done self-contained series before, Ron had done the Star Trek shows, and I had done the Hercules universe and it was in about the second season of BSG where we started to decide whether or not there was another story to be derived or hatched from this world that we were deeply immersed in. We knew we didn't want to have some sort of continuation of the story, where you'd have some paraplegic commander, some speed freak, in command this time. We debated doing another thing entirely, a Buck Rogers show that would take place in contemporary society and have an artificial person coping with reality.

Then we started looking at the big picture of something we had been discussing, about how many of the BSG episodes were self-contained versus ongoing threads. By the end of the series, I think by the beginning of the fourth season, the episodes were all essentially serialized. And they were great. And so we started talking about moving forward with something that was unapologetically a serial sci-fi soap opera, that from the beginning would be designed to be that sort of animal – free from all the responsibilities or obligations to carry through the artifice of having a beginning, middle or an end.

So once you knew you wanted to go serialized, how did you decide that Caprica would almost follow the likes of A.I. or Blade Runner, in dealing primarily with these issues of artificial intelligence, and this blurring line between computers and humanity?

Well we wanted to go broader, beyond Battlestar, and we thought wouldn't it be great if we went backwards and if we did a prequel that didn't in any way require knowledge of Battlestar. If it had no baggage. And you could still trade on those mythological strands, but now explore and tell stories in a completely different way. What was so unorthodox is that we pitched this to the studio in general terms and they said, ‘Wow, that's really interesting,' and then Remi Aubuchon, this successful television writer, approached them separately with this idea that was dealing with artificial intelligence and the creation of a sentient life. And they said, ‘ Wow, you should call Ron and David and put your heads together, you're all smoking out the same crack pipe.' And we met with him and it was this rare occasion where we had the foresight to put this all together.

It's interesting, though, how you use the notion of artificial intelligence here. It's not just for the sake of something flashy or high-tech, but there's a lot of emotional turmoil that's unleashed by this…

Well, we had thought of Caprica as replacing what oil is in our time with artificial intelligence – this resource that changes everything. And what we actually had a lot of discussions about was Frankenstein, about this need of one man to create life at any expense. And in that story, you have a brilliant man who goes mad with the implications of what he's done. Now imagine that taken to whole new level of moral questioning, when you're talking about the man's own daughter. That level of moral questioning almost runs the risk of a potential break with your own sanity, when you face what you're really trying to do, to bring back a replica of your daughter. -- Techland

Interviews with Jane Espenson and David Eick

Io9.com has a couple of interviews up with Jane Espenson and David Eick here.

Espenson talked about the central conflict on the show being not between humans and robots but between different groups of humans, while Eick talked about the beginnings of the show.

According to Espenson, the "other" in Caprica is other groups of humans, instead of the Cylons which barely exist at this point. You have twelve colonies, with diverse ethnic groups, all in conflict with each other. And that doesn't even include the monotheists, who are a minority in all the different colonies. The show's being very careful to make clear that not all monotheists are evil terrorists, adds Espenson. The whole stew of conflict, with each group believing it has the right answer to all of society's woes, brings a society that's at peace closer to the brink of war and disaster. And those elements — a peacetime society where different groups of humans are fighting over cultural and religious differences — allow Caprica to tell very different stories than Battlestar Galactica. It's still just as allegorical as BSG, however, and it still has something to say about the times we're living in.

Eick told us that Caprica started out as Remi Aubuchon's pitch for a totally unrelated show about robots, and then Syfy suggested turning it into a BSG prequel. And that opened up all sorts of ways to explore the same questions as BSG, only from the opposite side — instead of a show about machines who are becoming human, you have a show about a human girl who becomes a machine. Either way, you're getting to ask some questions about what humanity really is, says Eick.

Interview with Sasha Roiz (L.A. Times' Caprica countdown)

As part of their Caprica countdown, Los Angeles Times interviewed Sasha Roiz (Twitter link), who plays Sam Adama, Joseph's mobster brother. He talked about his character, the Adama family relations and history, Tauron values and continuity with Battlestar Galactica among other things.

How's it feel to be a Tauron assassin?
Interesting question. Well it feels really great that they've imbued this character with so many dynamic elements. It's not just a cookie cutter monster; he's got so many complexities to him that it's just a joy to play him.

What's the relationship like between Joseph and Sam?
At the beginning of the series, it's relatively strained. Obviously, the circumstances of the tragedy exacerbate the difficulties that the brothers had, and the brothers have a very different opinion of the world that they live in. Joseph is someone who's been trying to assimilate into the Caprican life while Sam is steadfast in staying loyal to Tauron and the Tauron community and has absolutely no interest in assimilating into the Caprican world. So those differences sort of come to a head, especially in the aftermath of the bombing and the loss of his wife and daughter.

The Ha'la'tha seems like a "Godfather" or yakuza type of organization. Where did you get your influences?
Yeah, it is of sorts. It's very much an ethnic organization not unlike what you said; it's kind of like a mafia or Yakuza. It's very similar to the way other mobs were formed in our world, say a century ago. When Italian and Irish and Jewish immigrants came over and were ghettoized and treated as second-class citizens, they formed organizations to protect themselves and their own ways of life and enforce their own laws. The Ha'la'tha have created a community and a life and a force on Caprica, and Sam's a soldier in that organization.

Sam Adama the role model ... is this all that good for for his nephew Willie, the future Admiral William Adama?
Ha! Well, Sam thinks so and has no doubts about it. Like I said, it's a very difficult time for the family, and Joseph's focus begins to spin a little bit out of control as he starts to chase after this avatar of Tamara [Adama, his deceased daughter] and he leaves Willie behind. So this is where Sam comes in almost as a surrogate and starts to raise this young boy. Sam always feels like the kid needs more Tauron influence, and along with that is a certain pride and strength that he wants to imbue in Willie. [Keep reading]

Caprica gets a positive review from Variety

Variety's Brian Lowry has posted a very positive review of the Caprica pilot. Here are a few snippets:

At first blush, the idea of a "Battlestar Galactica" prequel provoked skepticism of the "Why not leave well enough alone?" variety. Yet through its first four hours (including a two-hour premiere), "Caprica" exhibits more than enough promise to justify the mission, tracing the birth of the Cylons a half-century before the events of the earlier series while again weaving in powerful and resonant themes -- including religious intolerance and what truly makes us human. Although uneven in places, a quality cast and cliff-hanging episodic twists establish "Caprica" as an heir that shouldn't disappoint "BG" geeks.

The original "Galactica" was particularly adept at incorporating such flourishes and exploring concepts that compelled the audience to confront and contemplate their own reality -- particularly pertaining to terrorism's use as a tactic -- and series creators Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon again tackle those kinds of big ideas to push sci-fi boundaries in intellectually provocative ways.

For all that, the new show will doubtless be most enticing to fans of the old one, for whom every beat will carry echoes of the war to come. Whether that will limit the program's commercial appeal to a subset of "Galactica's" modest fleet of loyalists remains to be seen, but if this prequel can maintain the quality of its initial salvo, that will likely motivate at least those viewers to beseech whatever gods they pray to that "Caprica" be blessed with a prolonged stay in this place called Earth.

Interview with Jane Espenson

Michael Hinman at AirlockAlpha.com has a new interview with Jane Espenson. She talks about the point at which the show picks up after the pilot, the challenge of living up to Battlestar Galactica, and - heads up, astronomy geeks - how the 12 Colonies are grouped across different star systems in the same star cluster.

Check out the video:

New interview with Alessandra Torresani

L.A. Times has a new interview with Alessandra Torresani. Nine days to go until the premiere, two episodes left to film this season.

As Zoe Graystone, viewers don't get to bond a whole lot with you in the pilot for obvious, explosive reasons. How will we really get to know her?
Well I play five different people from the pilot to the season finale -- which I'm assuming five 'cause it may be more, I mean, we haven't shot the season finale or seen the script yet. So, yeah, you'll see, literally, five different young, 15-year-old girls.

I spoke to Eliza Dushku ("Dollhouse") about playing different characters on a show. Is each one of the roles you play a different personality at all?
They're all based on the same idea, but they're all very, very different. People will definitely know the differences between them all.

Was there a favorite?
Hmmm ... I don't know. Probably the robot cause she's a kick-ass [character]!

With Taurons, Capricans and such helping bridge the mythology of the "Battlestar Galactica" universe, did you feel any pressure?
Not so much. Yeah we're following in their footsteps, but we're a completely different show and we're a different style of show. We're not battleships fighting each other running away from the Cylons. Yeah, you want to keep all of their fans, and you want more, but you can't guarantee that. We're our own show -- it's fresh and new and we're going to base it on a completely new idea.

What do you think about the Cylon technology itself? Are we going that way as a society?
Absolutely! I'm convinced that Ron Moore is actually an alien and he knows these ideas already -- what's going to happen. He's just giving us little hints and little clues. I absolutely think so, I mean, why not?

Wow. Well, would you be into it? Would you do it, especially knowing what could possibly happen as a result?
Oh yeah, I'm a science nerd. I love this.

So you watched a lot of sci-fi and "Battlestar" before you got the role?
I never saw "Battlestar" before, but then I watched it after we shot our pilot because I wanted the first Cylon to be completely different than how Tricia [Helfer] portrayed it or Grace [Park] or any of the girls. I watched it and became completely obsessed. But yeah, I'm into "Star Trek" and stuff ... I'm more into "Aliens," but yeah it's all fun! Keep reading

Bear McCreary plans to post updates on Caprica score

Heads up: Bear McCreary posted a new entry on his blog about the scores he's been doing for Caprica, Human Target and the video game Dark Void. He says he will post detailed entries about his work on these projects, as he did while Battlestar was still on the air, so keep an eye on his site for updates.

Human Target premieres on Sunday, January 17 at 8/7c on Fox, Dark Void is out on January 19, and the extended Caprica pilot airs on January 22 at 9/8c on Syfy.

Here is what he says about Caprica:

BSG fans I assume already know about this one. What the rest of you guys might not know is that Caprica is a distinctly unique series, one that can be enjoyed without any knowledge of BSG. My pilot score soundtrack album was released last year to rave reviews (”A rich and satisfying journey; subtle and beautiful.” - IGN 6-22-09). With the series now airing, you can finally hear the somber themes and instrumental colors introduced in the pilot expand into a vibrant and vast musical universe, complete with new character themes, songs, anthems and onscreen piano and vocal performances. Caprica City, as you will discover, is a very musical place and the producers have allowed me to craft that musical identity and share it with all of you.

I started this blog with modest aspirations of updating it once a month or so. Over the course of BSG, I realized that there are actually countless other people out there like me who really enjoy the ins and outs of film scoring, and this blog has obviously grown. As a result, I am planning to post blog entries about all of these new projects with the same intense detail of my BSG entries.

I am confident when you guys hear this music, you’re going to want to know more about it. Expect to see a flood of entries, album and merchandise announcements and other surprises on the blog here in the coming weeks. And be sure to check out the Human Target, Dark Void and Caprica scores next week, because I think you guys will love them.

Source: Bear McCreary's blog

Another report from the Caprica panel

TV Squad posted a report from the Winter Press Tour here. David Eick talked about Zoe's character and the decision to do the scenes with both Alessandra Torresani and Zoe's Cylon body.

"The reason for that," said Eick, "beyond just how difficult it's proven to be on production to accommodate that, because it does tax us greatly, but it was so critical because the emotions are so important.

"And you can only get so much of an emotional point-of-view from a CG creature. And we had this magnificent actress in Alessandra, who we knew could deliver all the complexities of this angst-ridden young woman that we just thought it would be cheating the show, the audience, and just our storytelling ability to limit it to just visual effects."

And he and Jane Espenson also discussed the similarities and differences between Caprica and Battlestar Galactica. Espenson said, "There's no stark bad guys and good guys, that this is a world that is perceived by some of its residents as sort of sliding over the edge, and there's a whole bunch of people who think they've got the answer."

Eick added:

There are the occasional Easter eggs and nods and acknowledgments for the Battlestar faithful to enjoy or maybe deepen some of their appreciation for it, but I think legitimately the show stands on its own. And other than the fact that if you happen to know Battlestar Galactica, you know that that show had its roots in some of the stories we're telling now, there really is no relationship between the two shows whatsoever.

Caprica - Winter Press Tour report

Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly has the first report from the Winter Press Tour. You can read the article  here.

“Caprica, like Battlestar Galactica, doesn’t treat the [sci-fi] genre like a toy department,” exec producer David Eick told reporters at Winter Press Tour. “We take it seriously.”

Translation: The drama, starring Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Polly Walker, and Paula Malcomson, will be brimming with BSG’s trademark moral complexity. “There are no stark good guys and bad guys,” said fellow e.p. Jane Espenson. “Everyone has moral shadings and we can tell very complex stories as a result.”

On the flipside, Eick stressed that non-BSG loyalists will not be lost if they tune into Caprica. “New viewers will find that there’s virtually no tether to BSG from a storytelling standpoint,” he maintained. “Legitimately, the show stands on its own… It’s not called Battlestar Galactica: Caprica [for a reason].”

New interview with Jane Espenson

IF Magazine has a new interview with Jane Espenson. She discusses her role as executive producer, continuity with Battlestar Galactica, the casting of James Marsters, and other things. A few snippets below, for the full article, go here.

JANE ESPENSON: I’m still executive producer. Really the only thing that’s changed is Kevin is running the room now, as we’re breaking the last couple episodes of the season, so that I can go write on the last couple episodes. It’s really pretty much a procedural change, as much as an organizational one. Running the room and doing all the show runner stuff and all the production stuff was taking a lot of my time and it wasn’t the stuff that most interested me and I was really, really suffering from missing the writing, and I wanted to be able to get in for at least these finale episodes and not be distracted by production and actor issues and be able to genuinely do a lot of the writing. So this was initiated by me and Kevin is fantastic. Kevin has this amazing decisive equanimity that is allowing him to see it through, get stuff done, get everything lined up, so that I don’t have to be in the room, I can be at my computer, writing like a fiend. I’ve done more writing in the last couple weeks – I just couldn’t be happier. It was a matter of me asking for what I needed and getting it and it’s really a good change for the show and for everyone involved.

iF: How involved are Ron Moore and David Eick?

ESPENSON: They’re both very involved, thank the Gods. They’re fantastic. They’ve worked together for so long, they’ve got a wonderful shorthand and I’m just learning, because a lot of the producer things are things I [had] never done before, so I [was] trotting alongside them going, “Wait, what do you do when something’s way over budget? When do you cast a role in Canada and when do you cast a role in the U.S.? How much should I be listening to notes from the director, versus notes from production? How much should I be delegating to my writers versus handling myself?”’

iF: Were there things you enjoyed about hands-on producing/being the show runner?

ESPENSON: Oh, absolutely. I [enjoyed] the interaction in the room very much, because whenever there is one of those debates where everyone is all with their hearts in their throats because they really want the decision to be made in favor of the story that they think best serves the characters, and they’re going to be a little disappointed when it doesn’t come down their way and they have to embrace this other path. I never [had] to be the one who’s disappointed, because I got to say, “Oh, no, we’re going on that path.” And that’s wonderful. And I [liked] that if I read something in a writer’s script that I didn’t feel was right for our world, I had the authority to say, “No, no, this feels a little too earthbound, this doesn’t feel like …” for whatever reason, I [could] give the note. I liked having that much say.

iF: With CAPRICA, are you finding it hard or easy to write into the BATTLESTAR narrative that already exists?

ESPENSON: Actually, shockingly easy, because of this wonderful fifty-eight-year cushion between our events and those events. BATTLESTAR was my last home before [CAPRICA] and I still feel very much a part of that. Really, BATTLESTAR’s the mother ship. You don’t feel the need to set up stuff. I mean, we’re setting up stuff in this big wonderful broad-stroke palette that we have to work with, which is, we have the war coming up, then we know the skin jobs are going to arrive, then they’re going to help the Centurions make more skin jobs and we’re off and running. All we have to do is make sure we don’t contradict anything that’s been said about that road to that first war, and not a lot’s been said. We’re inferring things that seem natural to us, which is a lot of fun, because you go, "Before these twelve colonies were unified under one government, they would have certainly had separate national anthems, national creeds, national identities. Maybe they would still use some [different] languages, they would still use cultural markers like the Tauran tattoos that we’ve seen. All we have to do is backtrack what we know and create a livable, reasonable, interesting culture." For sci-fi writers, that’s a dream – that’s not a chore, that’s fun.

iF: James Marsters has a recurring role on CAPRICA as a terrorist. How instrumental were you in getting him hired?

ESPENSON: I was very instrumental in the hiring of James Marsters. I knew he was right for our show, creatively, and [wanted him on] for the joy of the BUFFY-meets-BATTLESTAR, which just gave me personal delight. I knew he was perfect and I pushed very, very hard for him.

iF: Given the fact that you presumably are showing the prototypes of the Cylons, will we be seeing actors we recognize as the Twelve?

ESPENSON: The thing about the prototypes of the Cylons is that it is a bit down the road. What we’ve got right now is one girl and one robot. I don’t know that you would see the actors [who played Cylons on BATTLESTAR]. You would see – well, I’m not going to answer. It’ll be fun to watch it unfold.

Jamie Bamber on Caprica: Too domestic

Jamie Bamber shared his impression of Caprica with Digital Spy and it seems the pilot left him a bit underwhelmed.

"I liked it," Bamber told Digital Spy, but--"I've got to be honest, for me it was a bit too teeny and domestic to really fire my imagination. But they're trying to make a different show to Battlestar."

Caprica deals with the family dynamics and rivalries that lead into the first Cylon war. "The things I enjoyed about Battlestar was the social-political side of it and I felt it was a bit domestic."

Source: About.com