The Pretender Returns! The Comic Con Announcement From Creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle

FROM SLICE OF SCIFI:
Back in Sept. 2007 Slice of SciFi’s Linda Craddock did an interview with “Tin Man” creators Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle. During their conversation with Linda they let it slip that the possibility of seeing their other popular series, “The Pretender,” could be resurfacing in a new media format. Since then Pretender fans have been chomping on the bit waiting for more a fitting conclusion to Jared’s (Michael T. Weiss) adventures. It’s been 6 months and as such Craig felt it was time to update everyone by dropping these comments to Slice of SciFi.

“Steve and I are touched by your loyalty and love for ‘The Pretender.’ Please know that often times things grind slowly in Hollywood and such is the case for our desire to get you all final answers for ‘The Pretender’ and to give this series that is so dear to us a fitting and rewarding conclusion. When Steve and I talk about a final episode/movie, our intent is genuine — it just takes time, undoubtedly longer than any of us hope for. Just know we are working to make this a reality and that we so appreciate all of your kind words and patience.” CV

Original Source

SCI FI’S ‘TIN MAN’ MINISERIES #1 TELECAST IN CHANNEL’S HISTORY

Wonderful Wizard of Ratings Soars Past TAKEN As Channel’s Biggest Hit

Best Ever P2+, P18-49 and P24-54

Over 6.3 Million Viewers Tune In

New York, NY December 3, 2007 SCI FI Channel’s legacy of hit original miniseries continues. Night 1 of Tin Man, a wild re-imagining of L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz, premiered last night (December 2 @ 9-11pm ET/PT) to a 4.2 HH rating/3.93 million HHs, delivering more than 6.3 million total viewers (P2+), 3.8 million viewers P25-54 and 3.4 million viewers P18-49.*

Tin Man’s Night 1 performance made it the Channel’s most-watched telecast ever in overall viewership (P2+), as well as in both of its key demos, P25-54 and P18-49. The wizardly delivery has bested all of SCI FI’s previous miniseries, including the Emmy-winning Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN.

Best ever performance on SCI FI in P2+ (beating TAKEN Part 1’s 6.1 million)

Best ever performance on SCI FI in P25-54 (beating TAKEN Part 1’s 3.7 million)

Best ever performance on SCI FI in P18-49 (beating Frank Herbert’s Dune Part 1’s 3.3 million)

Best ever performance on SCI FI in HHs (beating TAKEN Part 1’s 3.91 million)

Night 2 of this three-part, six-hour saga airs tonight on SCI FI at 9pm ET.

Produced by RHI, Tin Man is a deliciously twisted take on L. Frank Baum’s children’s literary classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and stars Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough, Kathleen Robertson, Raoul Trujillo and Richard Dreyfuss.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where “what if” is what’s on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com ) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 93 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

* Source: Nielsen Media Research, Fast National Ratings 12/2/07 Su 9-11pm, Tin Man Part One L+SD, Cvg HH Rating, P2+, P18-49, and P25-54 (000)s vs. all telecasts to date (1993-2007) M-Su 7pm-11pm. Subject to qualifications upon request.

‘Tin Man’ found, along with Wicked Witch and lion equivalent

Neal McDonough has signed on to become a friend of Dorothy.

The former “Boomtown” actor, Raoul Trujillo and Kathleen Robertson are the latest names to join the Sci Fi Channel miniseries “Tin Man,” based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. They join the already cast Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming and Richard Dreyfuss.

In the reimagining of the classic tale, the young woman DG (Deschanel) is snatched up and thrust into the O.Z., where she joins forces with the half-brained man Glitch (Cumming), the wolverine-like Raw (Trujillo) who seeks courage and the emotionally scarred, heroic Cain (McDonough), who was once part of the police force known as Tin Men. They journey along the Old Road to seek the help of the Mystic Man (Dreyfuss), who holds the key to revealing her destiny, which is strangely tied to the wicked Azkeadellia (Robertson). During the final showdown, DG’s life and the future of O.Z. itself hang in the balance.

Production on this psychedelic and twisted update will begin this month in Vancouver. Sci Fi is shooting for a December premiere.

McDonough is best known for “Medical Investigation” and “Band of Brothers” on TV and “Flags of Our Fathers” and “The Hitcher” on the big screen. Robertson stars in and executive produces the IFC series “The Business.” Her other credits include “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Medium” and “Hollywoodland.” Trujillo has appeared in “Apocalypto,” “The New World” and on the TNT miniseries “Into the West.”

ALAN CUMMING GETS A ‘GLITCH’ AND ENDS UP IN SCI FI’S O.Z.

Tony Winner Cast In ‘Tin Man’ Miniseries from RHI Entertainment Production Slated to Begin in March

PASADENA, Calif. January 12, 2007 SCI FI Channel has cast Tony winner Alan Cumming (Cabaret, Anniversary Party, X-Men 2) in its upcoming six-hour miniseries Tin Man (working title) from RHI Entertainment. The wildly re-imagined sci-fi fantasy take on Frank Baum’s classic book, The Wizard of Oz is slated to begin production in Vancouver this spring for a December premiere.

Cumming will take on the role of “Glitch,” one of a motley assortment of colorful characters trapped in the Outer Zone (the O.Z.).

A sometimes psychedelic, often twisted and always outrageous take on the book, SCI FI’s Tin Man is the epic tale of DG, a young woman plucked from her humdrum life and thrust into The Outer Zone (the O.Z.) a fantastical realm rife with wonder, but oppressed by dark magic. In the adventure of a lifetime, DG discovers her true identity, battles evil winged-monkey-bats, and attempts to fulfill her destiny. Her perilous journey begins on the fabled Old Road that leads to a wizard known as the Mystic Man. Along the way, she is joined by a decidedly strange trio of companions “Glitch,” an odd man missing half his brain; “Raw,” a quietly powerful wolverine-like creature longing for inner courage, and “Cain,” a heroic former policeman (known in the O.Z. as tin men, for their tin badges) seeking vengeance for his scarred heart. Ultimately, DG’s destiny leads her to an emotional and terrifying showdown with the scintillatingly wicked sorceress Azkadellia, whose ties to DG are closer than anyone could have imagined. DG’s life, as well as the very future of the O.Z., hangs in the balance.

Alan Cumming recently made a successful return to the West End in Bent, for which he garnered a Best Actor nomination from the What’s On Stage People’s Choice Awards. He also received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature for the film Sweet Land, in which he starred and for which he also served as a producer. The movie has earned audience awards at nearly every film festival in which it has played. He will next be seen in the feature films Gray Matters with Heather Graham, Molly Shannon and Debbie Harry, and Suffering Man’s Charity, which he directed, produced and stars in with Carrie Fisher, Anne Heche, David Boreanaz and Henry Thomas. He will also be featured in the Broadway documentary Show Business. His previous feature film credits include Eyes Wide Shut, Circle of Friends and Goldeneye.

Tin Man will be executive produced by Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr. Co-writers Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle (Medical Investigation, The Pretender) will also serve as executive producers on the project.

RHI Entertainment, LLC is a global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company’s inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received 104 Emmy Awards and outperformed the competition annually in viewer ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40-60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where “what if” is what’s on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com ) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 86 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

SCI FI AND RHI ENTERTAINMENT MEET AGAIN ON THE ROAD TO O.Z.

Six-Hour ‘Tin Man’ Miniseries To Begin Production in Early 2007 For December Premiere on SCI FI

New York, NY – November 22, 2006 – SCI FI Channel has re-teamed with RHI Entertainment (‘Legend of Earthsea’), the industry leader of miniseries and movies made for television, for a wild sci-fi re-imagining of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Written by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle (creators of ‘The Pretender’), ‘Tin Man’ (working title) is a six-hour miniseries featuring a decidedly sci-fi twist on the fantasy classic. Lensing is slated to begin in Vancouver in early 2007 with an eye to a December 2007 premiere. Casting is currently underway.

A sometimes psychedelic, often twisted and always bizarre take on ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ SCI FI’s ‘Tin Man’ is the epic tale of DG, a young woman plucked from her humdrum life and thrust into The Outer Zone (the O.Z.) – a fantastical realm rife with wonder, but oppressed by dark magic. In the adventure of a lifetime, DG discovers her true identity, battles evil winged-monkey-bats, and attempts to fulfill her destiny. Her perilous journey begins on the fabled Old Road that leads to a wizard known as the Mystic Man. Along the way, she is joined by a decidedly strange trio of companions – “Glitch,” an odd man missing half his brain; “Raw,” a quietly powerful wolverine-like creature longing for inner courage, and “Cain,” a heroic former policeman (who are known in the O.Z. as “Tin Men”) seeking vengeance for his scarred heart. Ultimately, DG’s destiny leads her to an emotional and terrifying showdown with the scintillatingly wicked sorceress Azkadellia, whose ties to DG are closer than anyone could have imagined. DG’s life, as well as the very future of the O.Z., hang in the balance.

‘Tin Man’ will be executive produced by Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr. Co-writers Mitchell and Van Sickle (‘Medical Investigation,’ ‘The Pretender’) will also serve as executive producers on the project.

SCI FI previously collaborated with RHI Entertainment for the hit 2004 miniseries ‘Legend of Earthsea,’ starring Shawn Ashmore, Kristin Kreuk, Danny Glover, and Isabella Rossellini. The two companies also recently announced a multi-picture production deal wherein RHI will deliver 10 original movies to SCI FI for broadcast in 2007.

RHI Entertainment is a global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company’s inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received 104 Emmy Awards, and outperformed the competition annually in viewer ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40-60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where “what if” is what’s on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 86 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

Futon Critic Reported: Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle (“The Pretender,” “The Tin Man”) are developing a new four-hour mini-series at the cable channel which puts a sci-fi twist on “The Wizard of Oz.” The project centers on Dorothy, a young girl who gets lost in an alternate universe policed by law enforcement officers known as Tin Men and tries to find her way home with the help of three strangers she meets in the mysterious land known as Outer Zone, or O.Z. The pair will write and executive produce the mini-series, which is still in the early stages of development.

“‘The Pretender’s’ Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle are developing a new drama at the Peacock from NBC Studios and Marla Ginsburg’s Vertiakal Entertainment. No additional details were available.”