January 25th, 2008 | 0 Comments
Keith David is set to star in Spike TV’s two-hour backdoor pilot S.I.S. The show is from Sony Pictures TV and Original Films. It centers on a five-man elite secretive police unit – SIS, or Special Investigation Squad – within the LAPD that tackles major crimes and major criminals. David will play assistant chief Joseph Armstrong, head of the secret squad. Omari Hardwick, Matt Nable, Peter Stebbings and Colleen Porch already have been cast as the other members of the unit. John Herzfeld, who wrote the pilot, will direct as well as executive produce with Neal Moritz and Vivian Cannon.
February 20th, 2007 | 2 Comments
Spike TV is turning to crime with a reality show in which amateur detectives try to solve real-life homicides. The male-skewing cable network has ordered 10 hour-long episodes of Murder, which is targeted to premiere in the summer between reruns of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: NY.
Each episode begins with the series’ host, Detective Tommy Le Noir, a 20-year Texas law enforcement veteran, escorting two groups of civilians into an exact replica crime scene pulled from the files of an existing homicide case. The teams assess the crime scene, collect evidence, receive a list of potential suspects and meet with a coroner who reviews the findings of the original autopsy report. The contestants are given 48 hours to complete their investigation and identify the killer. Each group makes a presentation to Le Noir, who then reveals what actually happened at the crime scene. Each week, the group that makes the correct case will have a donation made in their names to a selected victim’s charity.
January 11th, 2007 | 0 Comments
Donnie Wahlberg has been signed to star opposite John Leguizamo in Spike TV’s new fast-paced, thrilling original scripted eight-hour dramatic event The Kill Pit. Additionally, acclaimed director Steve Shill has joined the production to direct the first four hours. Written by James DeMonaco and executive produced by David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and DeMonaco, the series follows a bank heist that goes terribly awry and the hostage negotiations that ensue. The Kill Pit is produced by Lionsgate in association with Mandeville. “Donnie is an incredibly versatile actor with a tremendous amount of soul,” says Pancho Mansfield, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, Spike TV. “He is a great addition to the show and we know that his character will resonate with our male viewers.”
The Kill Pit revolves around a downtown bank robbery by a team of American Iraqi-War veterans. More than a dozen hostages from all walks of life are taken, ranging from the daughter of a business tycoon to an adulterous couple. Throughout the eight-hour event, viewers will follow the escalating action as the volatile soldiers plot their way out, the negotiator anticipates their moves and the hostages desperately try to survive. Time is critical and the game intensifies with surprising twists at every turn. The Kill Pit will be filmed on locations in and around Pittsburgh and is slated to go into production during the first quarter of this year for a summer 2007 premiere. Bill McGoldrick is Spike TV’s Executive in Charge of Production.
October 9th, 2006 | 0 Comments
Spike TV has picked up a comedic action series titled Wild World of Spike. The cable network has ordered seven half-hour episodes of the original series, which revolves around such “unheralded sports” as mop-jousting, blindfolded kickboxing and dirt skiing, focusing “more on the agony of defeat than the thrill of victory.”
The series is hosted by mixed martial arts fighter Kit Cope, skateboarding legend Jason Ellis and comedian Sam Tripoli. In each episode, the hosts screen bizarre sporting events from all around the world from the comforts of their living room and then select events to re-create, with comedic results. “Wild World” premieres in January.
“Our mission is simple with ‘Wild World of Spike’: to find the most ridiculous and outrageous sporting events, then aim to re-create them without killing our three hosts,” said Brian Diamond, senior vp sports and specials at Spike TV and co-executive producer of the show.
October 2nd, 2006 | 0 Comments
Lee Tergesen and Tony Curran have been tapped to star on Spike TV’s one-hour SciFi drama pilot A.M.P.E.D., from Fox 21 and co-creators/executive producers Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan (The X-Files), according to The Hollywood Reporter. Steven Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, who co-created and produced NBC’s The Pretender, have come on board the project as show runners and executive producers, while Rob Lieberman (USA Network’s The Dead Zone) will direct the pilot and serve as an executive producer. Also joining the cast are Sarah Brown, Josh Biton, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Troy Winbush.
A.M.P.E.D. is set in present-day Minneapolis and revolves around a group of police detectives and officers as they deal with a small but growing percentage of the population that is falling prey to strange genetic mutations, causing them to do destructive things to the city and those around them. Tergesen has been cast in the role of Detective Brian Spicer, described as a sensitive, quick-thinking, fearless and level-headed homicide cop. Curran portrays Detective Mark Jacocks, a tough cop whose method clashes with Spicer. Production on the pilot is set to begin Monday in Vancouver.
October 1st, 2006 | 0 Comments
Spike TV confirmed to SCI FI Wire reports that its original series Blade has been canceled. “Yes, that’s true,” a Spike representative said in an interview on September 29. “It won’t be renewed for a second season. I can tell you that Spike TV was very happy with the creative part of Blade. The cast, the actual production. We absolutely enjoyed working with New Line and David Goyer, Geoff Johns. But honestly, the network was disappointed with the audience turnout and the ratings. But I can tell you that New Line is going to be issuing a DVD of the entire season.” No date was announced for the DVD.
The statement confirmed rumors first posted by co-star Jill Wagner on her MySpace.com page, according to a report on the THEOcracy Web site. The post in which Wagner (Krista Starr) reports the news is only visible to Wagner’s friends. The news was also reported on Ain’t It Cool News. The series was quietly put to sleep after the end of its first 13-episode season. The show was based on the Blade movies and the Marvel Comics character, with Kirk “Sticky” Jones playing the title character. Wagner played his counterpart, a former soldier who becomes a vampire but struggles to retain her humanity.
