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.
