Steven S. DeKnight's "Incursion" on Starz

[Sawyer]

Deadline:

Starz Developing Pair Of Original Series From ‘Spartacus’ Producers
By THE DEADLINE TEAM

Starz said today that it is in development on two original series projects from familiar folks: a sci-fi action thriller from Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight via his overall deal at the network and another from the team of J Michael Straczynski, Roy Lee and Spartacus producer Rob Tapert titled Vlad Dracula. That means the network is staying in business with the team behind Spartacus, one of its most successful franchises that is ending its run next year.

DeKnight’s Incursion follows a squad of soldiers caught in a war against a hostile alien race. Each season the battle will be fought on a new, exotic planet as humanity punches deeper into enemy territory. Vlad Dracula, meanwhile, will blend historical facts of the 15th century Prince of Wallachia with the fictional Dracula, tracing his evolution from a revered ruler to the world’s most feared vampire. “Steven DeKnight, J. Michael Straczynski, Roy Lee and Rob Tapert are legendary talents, having created some of the most groundbreaking and iconic television series with incredibly passionate fan bases the world over”, Starz Managing Director Carmi Zlotnik said. “We are thrilled to work with such sophisticated auteurs and producers as we grow the slate of unique Starz original series.”

The final chapter in the Spartacus franchise, Spartacus: War Of The Damned, is set to premiere in January. DeKnight and the network announced last month that they decided to end the series after three seasons.

DeKnight's earned enough good will from me, and the concept sounds damn good. If this goes forward, I'm in. I just wonder if he'll recycle any actors from Spartacus.

 

[Lencho01]

I'll definitely check it out.

 

[Sawyer]

Cinema Blend:

Steven DeKnight Shares Details On Starz Sci-Fi Series In Development Incursion
Author: Kelly West

With Spartacus drawing to a close with its upcoming final season Spartacus: War of the Damned set to premiere on Starz in January, we're left to wonder what series creator Steven DeKnight will do next. Starz answered that question when they recently announced that DeKnight has a new sci-fi project in development called Incursion. We spoke with him about it on Friday when we had the opportunity to sit with him to discuss Spartacus at Comic Con and he had some interesting details to share on what they have in mind for the series.

Before we get to that, for those who missed the recent announcement, here's the description Starz shared on the project:

“Incursion,” an epic science fiction action-thriller that follows a squad of soldiers caught in a war against a hostile alien race. Each season the battle will be fought on a new, exotic planet as humanity punches deeper into enemy territory. Grittily realistic combat, darkly complex characters and intrigue on a cosmic scale will permeate the tale of fighting men and women facing the pressures of war and an enemy unlike any ever seen.

I asked DeKnight about Incursion, specifically the mention of the characters fighting on a different planet each season. From the sound of it, they already have ideas about the kinds of settings they might explore (literally) for the show.

"From a creative standpoint, you want that kind of excitement. From a standpoint of a war show, it made sense to have a different area of operation each season. Visually, I just found it very exciting. Let's do a jungle, let's do a desert, let's do an ice planet. Let's really explore those environments, and unlike Spartacus, we're actually going to go these locations. So, it won't be on green screen. We'll find a jungle, we'll find a desert, we'll find and ice flow…"

Using actual locations sounds amazing, but it could also prove to be limiting as far as the budget and (in the case of an ice planet) weather conditions. It also sounds like they'd aim to bring the same (or most of the same) main characters back each season. But if you're familiar with DeKnight's style from Spartacus, you know that he's not averse to killing off his characters if the story calls for it. With the mentioned battle scenarios involved in Incursion's premise, characters deaths seem inevitable. DeKnight confirmed as much. "Much like Spartacus there'll be main characters," DeKnight said. "But it's war, so somebody's going to get their head shot off sooner or later."

The more I hear about this project, the more I hope things work out and we see it airing on Starz (and soon).

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/wri...cursion-to-close-project-still-in-contention/

Writers Room On Starz Drama ‘Incursion’ To Close, Project Still In Contention
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

I’ve learned that the informal writer’s room for Incursion, Starz’s alien drama project from Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight, has started to ramp down. I hear the decision was made based on the fact that enough scripts had been written for a full series order. The project, which follows a squad of soldiers caught in a war against a hostile alien race, remains in consideration for a pickup as Starz is evaluating it. Incursion follows Starz’s development model where projects go straight to series, so the network regularly sets up writers rooms to develop a season’s worth of scripts before greenlighting a show. The pay cable network just authorized the launch of a writers room for Ron Moore’s Outlander. “Incursion remains in development at Starz and we are very much in the Steven DeKnight business,” a rep for Starz said. Incursion, which also has scouted potential locations and done creature creation work, is part of an overall deal DeKnight has with the network.

 

[Lencho01]

Update...

Starz still moving forward with “Halo meets Band of Brothers” show