Primeval: New World

Primeval: New World is a forthcoming Canadian science fiction television programme, set in Vancouver, British Columbia, created by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. A co-production between Impossible Pictures and Omni Film Productions for Space, the show is a spin-off of the British series Primeval. It will be broadcast in the United Kingdom on Watch, and on Space in Canada. As with Primeval, the premise of Primeval: New World involves a team of scientists who have to deal with animals from the past and future that travel through time to the present day through anomalies.^[1] The tone of the series will be "older, darker and scarier" than the original.^[2]

Premise

In the Primeval universe, animals from the past and future travel through time to present day Britain through anomalies, fictional phenomena which act as portals through time. A team of government scientists attempts to covertly capture the animals and return them to their home geologic eras while preventing the public from becoming aware of the existence of the anomalies.^[1] In Primeval: New World, set in Vancouver, British Columbia, a team of scientists investigate the opening of anomalies in northern latitudes.^[1][3][4]

Development

Rumours of a Primeval spin-off date originated in June 2009 when, in an interview with Digital Spy, co-creator Tim Haines said "We're working on [a spin-off] with people in Canada".^[5] On 15 September 2011, Bell Media announced that Primeval: New World had been commissioned for Space as a co-production between Omni Film Productions and Impossible Pictures, stating "The series... will build on the UK Primeval mythology, taking place in the same universe that we've come to know and love. The story will centre on a new Canadian team of animal experts taking on whatever past or future creatures come through the anomalies that are now appearing around the world.^[6][3] Corrie Coe, the senior vice-president of independent production at Bell said "This new Canadian series offers a fresh world of possibilities in terms of characters and stories, while including some favourite elements from the original UK Primeval."^[3] Gabriela Schonbach of Omni stated "We've worked closely with Space and Impossible Pictures for two and a half years to create this series."^[7] Katie Newman of Impossible Pictures stated the tone of the series will be "older, darker and scarier" than the original.^[8]

Production

Primeval: New World will retain elements from the British series while introducing a new cast of Canadian characters.^[3] Coe described it as "a parallel yet independent series".^[1] In their press release, Bell Media said the "story and character development will move between the two series, uniting different plotlines."^[1] Primeval co-creator Tim Haines stated there would be some crossover with the original series but that the storyline would be mostly self-contained, describing it as a spin-off in the vein of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.^[4] 13 episodes were commissioned for the first series.^[1][3]

The series was created by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Haines is signed on as an executive producer, as are Sanctuary contributors Martin Wood and Gillian Horvath.^[9][10] In October 2011, Haines indicated that characters from Primeval could appear in some capacity, stating "We've only got one at the moment... We haven't worked that out", also noting that Impossible Pictures were beginning to work on scripts.^[4] While the computer-generated images for Primeval were created by Impossible Pictures, the effects for Primeval: New World will be done by the Vancouver-based company Atmosphere Visual Effects. Schonbach said "Vancouver is the creative hub of visual effects for television, and we are the beneficiaries of a huge pool of talent in every area of TV production." Newman said that Atmosphere's work would "astound audiences around the globe", also praising Omni Film for doing "a phenomenal job in bringing this series to life... The stories are fantastic".^[11] Visual effects supervisor Mark Savela noted the success of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park franchise had caused challenges in creating "a fresh spin on dinosaurs".^[12]

Production was scheduled to begin in Vancouver in late 2011,^[7] but did not get underway until 7 March 2012.^[11] The majority of filming took place in urban areas outside of the city; locations included Stanley Park, Granville Island, and B.C. Place Stadium.^[12] As filming began, Space and Impossible Pictures jointly revealed the cast of the series. Niall Matter will play Evan Cross, an "enterprising inventor and visionary hero", while Sara Canning will play Dylan Weir, an expert in predatory attack behaviour. Also announced were Miranda Frigon, Geoff Gustafson, and Danny Rahim. Andrew-Lee Potts, who played Connor Temple in Primeval, will reprise his role in the series. Scripts were written by Horvath, Wood, Peter Hume, Jon Cooksey, Sarah Dodd, Katherine Collins, and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, with Wood, Amanda Tapping, Andy Mikita, and Mike Rohl signed on to direct.^[11][10][12]

Cast

• Niall Matter as Evan Cross, software genius^[11][12]
• Sara Canning as Dylan Weir, conservation officer^[11][12]
• Miranda Frigon as Ange Finch^[11]
• Geoff Gustafson as Ken Leeds^[11]
• Danny Rahim as Mac Rendell^[11]
• Crystal Lowe as Toby Nance^{[citation needed]}

Broadcast

The Canadian television channel Space will act as lead broadcaster for Primeval: New World.^[1] In the United Kingdom, the series will be broadcast on Watch in late 2012.^[13] The international distribution rights are held by Entertainment One.^[10]

References

External links

• Primeval: New World, Impossible Pictures
• Press release, Bell Media Site
• Primeval: New World at the Internet Movie Database