With Sci-Fi Channel's excellent Battlestar Galactica winding down its final season, its crew members are finding new work for the next chapter in their lives. Tahmoh Penikett, who plays Helo, is joining Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, Tricia Helfer, who plays sexy Cylon Number Six, has signed a deal with Fox where she will star in a future project, and show creator Ronald Moore has several writing projects in the works, including the Battlestar prequel Caprica.
Now Moore has even more post-BSG work ahead of him. According toVariety, the writer/producer, along with fellow Battlestar producer Michael Taylor, shopped a new pilot to Fox, who quickly gobbled it up. The show, titled Virtuality, is a two-hour backdoor pilot heavily drenched in the pair's bread and butter: space-bound science fiction.
Virtuality follows a dozen astronauts on a mission to explore a distant galaxy. During the 10-year journey through space toward their destination, the group fills time by linking into self-created words in a virtual reality program. However, the team soon discovers that a bug has been implemented in the system and that someone on the mission may be the culprit.
The sci-fi drama will have an online presence in the form of a mock reality show that is part of Virtuality's story. They will appear as webisodes and feature the full cast.
Regarding Virtuality, Fox Entertainment's Kevin Reilly, who bought the project, was gushing with praise for the plot. "For all the times we've read that a project has a 'unique point of view,' it rarely applies," he said. "This time it does--in spades."
Virtuality will likely target 2009 for its debut, with the possibility of going to series upon successful numbers.
Comments (19)
Let's hope fox has learned something from the past. Anybody remember a past show from a proven producer with a virutual reality theme -- Harsh Realm? They killed that pretty darned quick...
The way he made a sci fi adventure show like Battlestar Galactica, into a Lifetime channel drama show, I'm completely underwelmed by this news.
Thats cool
I'm so glad, Ronald Moore is a brilliant. <i>Virtuality</i> added to my list of must-see TV. :)
This show sounds great. The fact that it's from Ronald Moore means that it will probably deliver.
Unfortunately it's on Fox, so that means more great sci-fi for them to cancel.
sounds good but fox kills all its good shows
seems like a little much...i would be really interested in a character driven show about ten astronauts on a long, depressing journey into space, but traveling through the space time continuum to fantasy lands makes it a little goofy and all over the place. anything can happen, which isn't as fun as a linear, focused story.
The plot sounds straight out of a Phillip K. Dick story...so Fox will kill it after one season. It's just too weird for them.
Should be good. The whole thing with Balthar's twisting perception of reality with Six on BSG was always a strong plot point, so the idea seems to be in safe hands.
Sounds good... I'm there, just hope FOX gives it a fighting chance to succeed in the ratings.
In response to sholeovsky's post, let's just hope it's longer than Firefly. Since BSG is pretty good (can't wait until Friday), this should be a good series. If it gets "successful numbers"...
lets hope that fox will not ruin it like they did firefly.
lovely
FOX used to know a good thing when they had it, but lately they've been tossing good shows into the garbage. Yes, FOX, I'm talking about Futurama! God bless Comedy Central!
Well I hope it survives being on FOX, science-fiction being shown by the big networks don't last long.
The show sounds amazing but I have a feeling it won't be very popular among American audiences. It'll just be too weird for them so I likely see this as later being picked up by Sci-Fi.
This sounds pretty interesting and that fact that Ronald D. Moore is behind it makes it even better!
It is pretty amazing that all the great sci-fi creators seem to be signed by FOX. I'm not sure if this good or a depressing view of the future -- after more good sci-fi gets cancelled by FOX.
Too bad it's Fox... They have a habit of trying to cancel new Sci-Fi shows.
Awesome. Glad we have some future sci-fi TV shows in the works. :D