SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on the new original series “Caprica,” ordering 20 hours of the drama including the two-hour pilot, it was announced today by Dave Howe, President, SCI FI. “Caprica” is the prequel to SCI FI’s hit original series “Battlestar Galactica” and stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Golden Globe nominee Polly Walker.
Set 50 years before “Battlestar Galactica,” “Caprica” follows two rival families the Graystones and the Adamas as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics. “Caprica” will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting and family conflict in television’s first science fiction family saga. Production on the series is slated to begin summer ’09 in Vancouver for a 2010 premiere. Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights”) directed the pilot.
“‘Caprica’ will build on ‘Battlestar Galactica’s’ acclaimed legacy of gripping drama and extraordinary characters,” says Dave Howe in making the announcement. “It’s the beginning of a brand new epic saga that will appeal to both new viewers, totally unfamiliar with the ‘Battlestar’ franchise, as well as existing loyal and passionate ‘Battlestar’ fans.”
“Ron, David and Remi have created an amazing series with thought-provoking storytelling that deals with a world very similar to our own. It’s definitely not as dark as ‘Battlestar,’ but like that show, this series has smart, dimensional characters who grapple with issues of love, sex and politics from a world in transition,” says Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI & Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.
As the series begins, a startling development is about to occur – the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or “Cylon” the ability to marry artificial intelligence with mechanical bodies. Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) father of future Battlestar commander William Adama (Sina Najafi) a renowned civil liberties lawyer, becomes an opponent of the experiments undertaken by the Graystones (Eric Stoltz), owners of a large computer corporation that is spearheading the development of these living robots: the Cylons.
“Caprica” is produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (“Battlestar Galactica”) and Remi Aubuchon (“24”). It is co-written by Aubuchon and Moore and directed by Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights”).
