WB ORDERS FILMING OF NEW DS PILOT

[onyx_treasure]

Ms. Hu's casting is a step in the right direction.  As a person of color, this is long overdue!! Still, more needs to be done.  How about a black Sheriff Patterson or Eliot Stokes?

     This is supposed to take place in Maine(one of the whitest states in New England).  I can't see a black Sheriff Patterson.  However, it would be interesting to have a black Prof. Stokes.  Universities tend to have more diversity than the surrounding small towns.  I know diversity is important but it would make more sense to change the venue to a more cosmopolitan area like Boston or New York.  Small New England towns are not famous for their diversity.   

[MsCriseyde]

Though I'm cautiously optimistic, I think it's probably a bit early in the game to comment on whether the racial diversity in the casting is an entirely positive thing.

It's not just a matter of quantity, but of quality. What they do with the characters is as important as who portrays them. To take some of MLK's words somewhat out of context, you have to judge the content of their character, not simply the color of their skin. (That's why I'm not particularly impressed by the original DS having a black nurse or a mute gypsy played by a black actor considering that around the same time Star Trek was able to do much more in the way of incorporating non-white actors in meaningful roles.)

One need look no further than the recent film version of Wild Wild West to see how filmmakers, presumably with the good intentions of rewriting some of the stereotypical ethnic roles associated with the Western genre, can still royally screw it up.


C.

[Stuart]

How about a black Sheriff Patterson or Eliot Stokes?

Ooooooooooh, now I think of it...  I don't know how well known he is in the US, but British actor Don Warrington would be so perfect for Stokes.

[ClaudeNorth]

Hmmm...as much as I support making this new DS as different from the original as possible, I must confess to a bit of disappointment regarding the casting of Kelly Hu as Dr. Julia Hoffman.  I should look for more photos of her on the web because in the one photo I have seen, she did not look nearly old enough to play a doctor.  A medical student, yes, but not a doctor.  I think it could hurt the character's credibility if the actress looks too young.

Of course, I'm sure most of my apprehension is caused by my Graysonian leanings.  For me, the Grayson-Julia connection is the strongest of the actor-character connections on the original DS, so it's hard for me to imagine anyone other than a red-haired theatrical diva in the role.   

On the other hand, I think it is terrific that the creative team behind the new series is going in a different direction with regards to casting.  For the new DS to work, it has to be fresh and not merely an attempt to recreate the original.  The casting of Kelly Hu is certainly a good sign in that regard.  Being completely objective (or as objective as one of Grayson's Legion can be), this casting decision could turn out to be the best thing for the series.

[jase]

I would comment on the casting of Kelly Hu but I'm too busy convulsively rushing for the liquor as a result.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I should look for more photos of her on the web because in the one photo I have seen, she did not look nearly old enough to play a doctor.  A medical student, yes, but not a doctor.  I think it could hurt the character's credibility if the actress looks too young.

Believe it or not, Kelly Hu is 36. Not old by any stretch of the imagination, but old enough to be a full-fledged doctor. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I don't know how well known he is in the US, but British actor Don Warrington would be so perfect for Stokes.

Your picture got me curious so I checked his resume on Variety's Web site. Unfortunately, his only TV appearance over here seems to have been in "Arabian Nights," a miniseries that ran in two parts on April 30th and May 1st of 2000. (I didn't watch it.) And of the five theatrical films listed (Babymother - Released: March 17, 2000; Lighthouse  - Released: February 4, 2000; Dead Of Night - Released: January 1, 1999; Tube Tales-Steal Away - Released January 1, 1999; Hamlet  - Released December 25, 1996), the only one I can place is Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet. (Though, again, I didn't see that either.) But the way he appears in that picture definitely makes me think that, if the pilot goes to series, and if they were to decide to use a Prof. Stokes character, you could be on to something...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A copy of this article from The Hartford Courant just showed up in my e-mail (I have relatives who live in CT  ). Nothing new so far as DS is concerned, but it's worth a read to size up the potential competition:

Primed For Prime Time
Familiar Faces Populate Pilot Episodes Of Shows Bidding For Spots On Fall Prime-Time Schedule

April 15, 2004
By ROGER CATLIN, Courant TV Critic

It's the reality shows that are bunching up at the top of the ratings. But networks continue to show hope for scripted shows - especially at this time of year. Pilot episodes for more than 100 proposed new series are being completed this month as part of the annual effort that will result in rosters of new fall shows.

Only about a third of them will make it; a few others may be held for midseason replacements. All the others will disappear.

And while some new shows are a lock for the fall, including a fourth version of "Law & Order"; a third "CSI," set in New York; and the "Friends" spin-off "Joey," here's a look at some other pilots that may or may not fly into fall schedules:

Actors new to series TV: Macaulay Culkin is featured in a proposed NBC comedy about a brother and sister reunited after growing up in different foster homes. Jeff Goldblum is a financial consultant in therapy, also for NBC. Lewis Black of "The Daily Show" stars as a high school principal in a proposed ABC sitcom. Chris O'Donnell stars in the CBS comedy "The Amazing Westerbergs." Ricki Lake stars as a single mom who runs a bar in a new project from the creators of "Cheers," for CBS.

Marissa Jaret Winokur, the Tony-winning star of "Hairspray" on Broadway, will join French Stewart, Laurie Metcalf and Brenda Vaccaro in "The Furst Family" for ABC, an adaptation of the British hit "The Royale Family."

A more visible British adaptation will be the U.S. version of the acclaimed import "The Office." Steve Carell of "The Daily Show" is in the version by NBC, who fumbled the Americanization of "Coupling" last season.

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, whose variety show drew 11.4 million viewers Sunday, star in separate ABC projects. He's in "Hot Mom," starring Gina Gershon as a wedding planner; she's in an untitled sitcom about a pop star turned TV newsmagazine reporter.

Odd jobs: Besides "Hot Mom," wedding planning is the business in the ABC drama "DeMarco Affairs" starring Selma Blair and Sabrina Lloyd.

Another rising business in TV pilots is nannies. Gerald McRaney returns in a comedy called "Commando Nanny" for The WB. A drama about nannies in upscale New York, "Gramercy Park" features Samaire Armstrong and Milo Ventimiglia.

NBC's proposed "D.O.T.S." might be the first comedy about meter maids. That network's "Hub," with Heather Locklear, is a drama set behind the scenes at a major airport.

More cops: There's no shortage of crime and mystery solvers amid the pilots. "Keen Eddie" star Mark Valley returns as a private eye in "Harry Green Plus Eugene" for ABC. NBC's "City of Dreams" is a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced private eye saga starring Jimmy Smits. Stanley Tucci is the private eye in Brooklyn in the CBS drama "The Webster Report." Sarah Wayne Callies is the star of "The Secret Service" for ABC. And Fox's "Johnny Zero" is about an ex-con who is a private investigator.

NBC's proposed cop show "Hawaii" comes without the 5-0 in the title. CBS' "Wanted" is about cops in L.A. with Scott Glenn and Yancey Arias. And "Blind Justice" on NBC is, yes, about a seeing-impaired cop.

People from other fields can help solve crimes in pilots, such as an MIT mathematician, as in CBS' "Numbers" or a suburban mom who is a psychic on NBC's "Medium," starring Patricia Arquette. UPN is also developing a series about a teen who works at her dad's detective agency. And a proposed UPN drama about lesbian private investigators is called "Nikki and Nora."

Familiar faces: Stars who made their name in earlier hit series are trying new ones. John Goodman stars in the Chicago family sitcom "Center of the Universe" for CBS. Henry Winkler is in the cast of NBC's "Beverly Hills SUV," a comedy about a dealership. Rob Reiner heads "Everyday Life," about a family of therapists for NBC. Caroline Rhea stars in ABC's proposed "Plan B" about a single working mother. Jennifer Love Hewitt is featured in an untitled ABC comedy about a sports. Tim Daly of "Wings" returns for "Eyes," about a risk-management firm, for ABC. Jane Krakowski is a culinary-school grad in "Taste" for CBS. Andy Richter stars in a sitcom about teen quintuplets for Fox. Jenny McCarthy tries another comedy, "The Bad Girl's Guide," for UPN. Aisha Tyler stars in her own workplace comedy for CBS about moving from fashion to the corporate world.

More stars? Felicity Huffman and Teri Hatcher are among the "Desperate Housewives," a drama for ABC. Robert Forster, most recently with "Karen Sisco" returns in CBS' "Bounty Hunter," heading a father and sons manhunting firm. Dean Cain returns as former Yankees batboy in "Clubhouse" for CBS. Rob Lowe tries again in CBS's "Dr. Vegas," as a casino physician. Christine Lahti stars in the political drama "Jack & Bobby" for The WB. Barbara Hershey returns on "The Mountain" for The WB.

Kim Delaney stars as a witch and single mom in "Sudbury" for CBS. A male witch is the protagonist of Fox pilot "Spellbound." And Kerr Smith plays a record store owner who talks to the dead on the UPN drama "Silver Lake," also starring Sandra Bernhard. And there's a comedy set in a record store too: "Vinyl Haven" on CBS.

Writers and cartoons: Colin Hanks stars with Sharon Lawrence in a sitcom about Joel Stein's days at Time magazine for ABC; Jason Alexander plays writer and popular ESPN commentator Tony Kornheiser in a CBS project.

With "Father of the Pride," a lock for NBC, five other animated shows are under development, including a new one from "Family Guy" creator Seth McFarlane and an animated version of the controversial comic strip by Aaron McGruder, "Boondocks," both at Fox.

Sons of `24': Time is still a conceit in many of the premises. John Stamos stars in a proposed ABC comedy whose first season is one long first date. Jason O'Mara stars in the ABC project "Countdown," in which a SWAT team responds to emergencies in real time. And Fox's "Ricochet" starts at the end of a police case and works backward.

Remaking TV classics: Ready for an update of "Mister Ed"? They're making it for Fox, with Sherilyn Fenn and Sherman Hemsley in the cast. "The Robinsons: Lost in Space" is another new turn on the classic series for The WB, which is also developing a new version of "Dark Shadows." NBC's vampire-hunting saga is called "Transylvania"

Survivor scripted: Just so they are not left out, producers of reality shows are starting to offer their own scripted series in pilots this season, including Mark Burnett of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" fame, with a saga about shipwrecked students called "Eden" for NBC.

(On a completely unrelated to DS note: shame on Mr. Catlin for not mentioning Buffy/Angel alumnas Alyson Hannigan's and Charisma Carpenter's pilots - both have sitcom pilots in the works. And strange that he didn't mention FOX's "Point Pleasant" either...)

[Stuart]

Your picture got me curious so I checked his resume on Variety's Web site...

He was in a comedy series called "Manchild" with Buffy's Anthony Head, that plays on BBC America.  Although visually I think he fits, what impresses me about him is his voice - he has such a spellbinding quality vocally.  If I get time later, I'll put up an MP3 of one of his "Doctor Who" audio appearances.

[Gerard]

Hmmm...as much as I support making this new DS as different from the original as possible, I must confess to a bit of disappointment regarding the casting of Kelly Hu as Dr. Julia Hoffman.  I should look for more photos of her on the web because in the one photo I have seen, she did not look nearly old enough to play a doctor.  A medical student, yes, but not a doctor.  I think it could hurt the character's credibility if the actress looks too young.

Well, it can be possible that a very young person (and Miss Hu, despite being in her mid-thirties, looks very young, but then being in your mid-thirties is still "very young", as is being in your mid-forties!) could be a full-licensed doc.  Miss Green Bay (WI) is only 22 and is already a fully licensed physician.  Yes, she is a "Doogie-Hawser" superbrain, having started college when she was around 13 and finished medical school when she was just out of her teens.  And, ironically enough, she looks almost exactly Miss Hu, being a third-generation Korean-American.

Gerard

[Connie]

I've got a great idea.  My brother-in-law is a Chinese Jew.  (Yes, he is).  He's rather tall and would be perfect as Quentin.  They could have him take up with a Moroccan maid.  Edward would be outraged and banish him to Tangiers because of the disgrace such a marriage would bring to the Collins family name.  Yeah, that's it.

[Midnite]

A few "New Teaser Spoilers" are on www.barnabasundead.com .  They're on the Mausoleum page.

[Patti Feinberg]

Believe it or not, Kelly Hu is 36. Not old by any stretch of the imagination, but old enough to be a full-fledged doctor. 

GET OUT OF HERE!!!

The first thing I wanted to post was how young looking (how do we spell SYT??) she is...36!!!!

Okay...as long as she's not another 22-year old...

The idea of black Prof. Stokes is magnificent!!!!! I geniunely love it!!!

Patti

[John]

It saddens me to see such a poor cast assembled here!  There's hardly a single actor here that should have been hired.  The WB hopes their poor choices will appeal to modern kids that have no taste. Has anybody noticed that Dan Curtis apparently has no actual connection to this attempted revival?  The 1991 Dark Shadows did not offer perfect casting either, but was leagues ahead of this bomb.  I guarantee they have driven a stake through this one already.  If the pilot is approved, the show will be dead in three episodes for sure!

It's not your grandfather's Dark Shadows!

[Midnite]

Excerpt from

ShadowGram Update #114:

--- FINAL CASTING FOR THE NEW DARK SHADOWS

Hawaiian-born actress Kelly Hu has been hired to play Dr. Julia Hoffman in the highly-anticipated WB pilot for a proposed new weekly DS series this fall. Hu is best-known for her roles in the films "X-2: X-Men United" and "The Scorpion King," as well as TV work on "Nash Bridges" and "Martial Law."

Michael D. Roberts is playing Sheriff George Patterson.
Selected credits: FILMS: Rainman, Suckers, Hitman's Run, The Golem, Heartbreaker. TV: Double Trouble, The District, Arliss, Friends, Beverly Hills 90210, Seinfeld.

--- PILOT PRODUCTION NOTES
Filming on the new DS project, which is a co-production between Dan Curtis Productions, John Wells Productions, and Warner Brothers Television, began on April 2 in Los Angeles at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank and will continue until April 23.

The Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills again serves as the exterior of Collinwood, as it did in the 1991 NBC DS. Some Collinwood interiors also have been filmed at the estate. Currently there are no plans to use Greystone as the Old House, inside or out, as in 1991. Another location is being used for the Old House interiors and exteriors. Ports O' Call in San Pedro, as in 1991, is being utilized as the village of Collinsport.

Because the current pilot is for a one-hour time period instead of two hours as in 1991, a couple of regular DS characters, Maggie and Sam Evans, are not included in the pilot as originally scripted. However, they will appear in future episodes should the series go into production.

There is keen interest on the part of the new DS producers to feature performers from the original 1966-71 DS in special roles if the new DS is made into a series. This is a plan that everyone involved with the new production wants to happen. It therefore is not necessary for fans to write to Warner Brothers, John Wells Productions, or Dan Curtis Productions with such a request.

John Karlen recently visited the set. Jonathan Frid was approached to play a cameo role in the pilot of a mysterious old man on the train with Victoria Winters. Jonathan, who is essentially retired in Canada, respectfully declined the offer, however.