The Dresden Files

The Dresden Files is an American television series based on the books by Jim Butcher. It premiered January 21, 2007 at 9:00PM EST on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States and on Space in Canada. It was picked up by Sky One in the UK and began airing on February 14, 2007.

The series ran for a single season of twelve episodes, and has since been released on DVD. The Sci Fi Channel announced on August 3, 2007 that The Dresden Files would not be renewed for a second season.^[1]

Development

In 2005, the SciFi Channel announced that it had optioned The Dresden Files as a two-hour film and backdoor pilot. Nicolas Cage executive produces alongside Hans Beimler, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Norm Golightly, and Morgan Gendel. It is produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Cage's Saturn Films.^[2] Production began during the Autumn of 2005. Originally, a Summer 2006 release was anticipated, but on May 23, 2006, a January 2007 airdate and 11 episode pick-up was announced on JBAnnounce, the official Jim Butcher announcement list. It was confirmed the next day by Sci-Fi.^[3]

The pilot film was made from a screenplay by television writers Hans Beimler and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and based on Butcher's novel Storm Front. David Carson directed and shooting took place in Toronto. It was announced in November 2005 that Paul Blackthorne had been cast in the lead role.^[4] The two hour pilot was originally intended to serve as the premiere, but certain last minute developmental and casting changes delayed its completion. Episode three (in production order) was aired in its place. Along with the re-shooting of several scenes, the two hour pilot has been cut to an hour and was the eighth episode to air. The full version of the pilot was broadcast late at night on March 7, 2008 by SciFi Channel but did not adhere to later Television revised continuity.^[5]

Most notable in the re-edited version of the pilot was the fact that Bob, played by Terrance Mann in the series as a full apparition, was limited to only a disembodied voice who was centered around the familiar rune covered skull with animated lighting to symbolize the spirit within, more akin to the Bob of the novels. This re-editing was done later in the series as Mann did not join the series until after the original filming of the pilot had already been concluded. The full pilot version of "Storm Front" was not included in the original DVD release of the complete series.

Characters

Casting was confirmed on November 29, 2005 by Robert Hewitt Wolfe:^[6]

Principal cast

Left to right: Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, Terrence Mann, Conrad Coates

• Harry Dresden (Paul Blackthorne) — The main character of the series, Harry is a reluctant hero, a professional wizard who often helps the police with cases involving "unusual" circumstances and others who seek his help. Harry's mother, a powerful wizard, died when he was young. He was raised by his father, a stage magician. When he was about eleven, his powers began to emerge, and his uncle Justin Morningway wanted to take him and teach him about his abilities, so he murdered Harry's father with black magic when his father did not relinquish Harry to him. Bob makes reference to Harry "self-defensing" his uncle to death. Justin Morningway left a programmed doppelgänger behind to resurrect him if he died. It is later revealed Harry inherited a large amount of money that he gave to charity and owns the Morningway estate, in which he refuses to live.

• Lt. Connie Murphy (Valerie Cruz) — The Chicago police officer who often seeks out Harry's help with cases that are hard to solve and may be supernaturally related — although she refuses to outright believe in magic, because such things do not fit with her "rules." She is dedicated and takes her job seriously, even going as far as seeking out the only wizard in the phonebook to help with cases. Lt. Murphy is a tough, no-nonsense woman who is divorced and has a daughter (Anna) who she says spends a lot of time with her father because of the long hours she has to work. Connie apparently has some romantic feelings toward Harry as she pointed out at the end of season one if he kissed her again she wouldn't slap him.

• Hrothbert "Bob" of Bainbridge (Terrence Mann) — The old spirit owned by Dresden. He was once owned by Dresden's uncle, Justin Morningway before Dresden "self-defensed" him to death. He advises Dresden on both personal and magical matters. Bob is an invaluable source of knowledge which Dresden taps to solve supernatural crimes. In the first episode, Bob is seen redesigning a "Doom Box," which he describes as "a supernatural jack-in-the-box" containing and amplifying magical energy. The original Doom Box formula was included in a grimoire Bob wrote while he was alive; the book had been in Justin's possession until Harry burned it. Bob's current state is a punishment: he was executed, his soul sealed into his own skull for all eternity, for using black magic to bring a sorceress he had loved (Winnifred) back from the dead several hundred years ago. Bob died from an axe blow to the back of the head in the year 900 A.D.

• Warden Donald Morgan (Conrad Coates) — Morgan is a Warden of the High Council, the governing body of the wizarding community, and is assigned to the Chicago area. He is a stickler for the rules, powerful, and will often confront Harry because of their differing ideals and personalities; nonetheless, he will often work with Harry - albeit under the table - where innocents are involved.

Recurring characters

• Det. Sid Kirmani (Raoul Bhaneja) — Lt. Murphy's partner on the Chicago PD, he is perennially skeptical of Dresden's abilities.
• M.E. Waldo Butters (Matt Gordon) — a Chicago PD medical examiner who has assisted Lt. Murphy on several of her more bizarre cases.
• Justin Morningway (Daniel Kash) — a warden of the High Council and Dresden's uncle, believed to be dead.
• Bianca (Joanne Kelly) — one of the most powerful vampires in Chicago, and a member of the Red Court.
• Ancient Mai (Jane McLean/Elizabeth Thai) — the High Council's "top dog" who handles contact with other supernatural powers.
• Laura Ellis (Natalie Lisinska) — a waitress in a local diner, Harry's love interest in two episodes.

Minor magical characters

• Scott Sharp (Dylan Everett) — a ten-year-old adoptee with magical talent who was targeted by a skinwalker.
• Heather Bram (Kathleen Munroe) — a recently-converted lycanthrope who has left Chicago to face her new condition on her own.
• Sirota (Kim Coates) — an earth-bound demon responsible for converting humans into hellspawn.
• Sharon Mirell (Kerry LaiFatt) - a former Chicago PD coroner who practices the very dark art of reanimation.
• Dante Arrias (Nathaniel Stephenson) — a magically-talented college student who temporarily wielded the power to create doorways.
• Amber (Christine Horne) — a Warden of the High Council, she helped Morgan protect Ancient Mai from a Kirtonian Dracoform.
• Sgt. Darren Munzer (Yannick Bisson) — a daring Chicago detective who cheated death by stealing other people's second chances.

Departure from novels

Changes were made for the series, including:

• Harry's "Blue Beetle" Volkswagen has been replaced with a Korean-war era Jeep. Both were chosen by the character for the lack of high tech components.
• One of Harry's trademarks in the books was a black duster, replaced in the series by a leather jacket.
• While Bob exists as a disembodied voice emanating from a skull in the books, he can appear in a (spectral) human form that emerges from the skull in the series. He is also the soul of a human wizard, rather than a spirit of air and intellect as in the books.
• Murphy's name was changed from Karrin to Connie to avoid confusion with real-life Chicago police officer Karyn Murphy. Her character also has a daughter, Anna, who does not exist in the books.
• Bianca, the Red Court vampire who runs a Chicago brothel, was changed significantly. In the books she is a vicious predator who wants nothing so much as Harry's slow death. In the television series she becomes a much more sympathetic figure who has saved Harry's life in the past and even been his lover on occasion. Bianca runs a club instead of a brothel.
• In addition, many of his magical items are constructed using mundane, modern items - for example, a drumstick for a wand and a hockey stick for a wizard's staff.
• In the books Harry has an office (on the fifth floor of an office building) and a separate basement apartment in a house turned into rented rooms; in the show he occupies a home/office/loft style building.
• Harry's home/office is much more modern in the TV series, in the books he has no power, only a wood stove for cooking and heating, and no hot water due to the mishaps wizards experience with technology. In the TV series he has a fully functional kitchen. However Dresden of the TV series does have the same issues with technology and as a result uses candles instead of lamps whenever possible and has a gas stove.
• In the books Harry's teacher was Justin DuMorne, who was not related to Harry. DuMorne (now Morningway) in the show is Harry's uncle and left his magical training in the hands of the ghostly Bob.

Jim Butcher released the following statement on his website bulletin board in response to fan criticism of the changes: "The show is not the books. It is not meant to follow the same story. It is meant as an alternate world, where the overall background and story-world is similar, but not all the same things happen. The show is not attempting to recreate the books on a chapter-by-chapter or even story-by-story basis."^[7]

Episodes

See also

• Chicago fiction
• Urban fantasy
• Fantasy television

References

External links

• SyFy.com "The Trouble With Harry" Interview with Paul Blackthorne | The Dresden Files
• SCIFI.COM | The Dresden Files
• Jim-Butcher.Com
• Dresden City - Information Archive & Community
• The Dresden Files at Allmovie
• The Dresden Files at the Internet Movie Database
• The Dresden Files at TV.com