Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 289

December 5, 2017: Project A!

To be perfectly honest, I was looking forward to some time off.  Nothing crazy.  Maybe a month.  Or six.  While a lot of my fellow writers start going stir crazy after a few directionless weeks, I have no problem sleeping in, spending time with my girlfriend and the dogs, and reading into the wee hours.  And that WAS the plan but, prior to leaving Vancouver, my agent arranged for sit-downs with some of the local production companies.  I figured, why not?  If nothing else, I would know what I’d be missing.

Anyway, great meetings all, and one in particular in which I was presented with the opportunity to help develop something.  I liked the project a lot, but especially liked the people involved – and, at this point in my career, that’s what I’m looking for: interesting projects and good collaborators.  As they used to say on Stargate: “LTS” (Life’s Too Short).

And time off, apparently, is even shorter.

So, after reviewing the project and offering my take (and, of course, assuring them I wasn’t THAT crazy), I was hired.  David Ray and I spent about a month fleshing out the world, the backstory, the characters, and arcs.  We delivered the overview, received some input from the broadcaster and production company, and prepared for the writers’ room.

I elected to bring in local-kid-makes-good Alex Levine, a former script coordinator on Stargate (and practicing lawyer before that!) who ended up making quite a name for himself in his days as a writer and Co-Executive Producer on Orphan Black.  Yes, he has an impressive track record.  But, more importantly, he has a great head for story and characters.

Which he has proven over the past two days of spinning.  He, David, Samantha, and I dedicated Monday to waiting for the white board to arrive broad stroking the major story beats.  Then, today, we ate pastries David picked up from the Italian bakery across the street focused on individual character arcs.  I figure tomorrow, we’ll finish up the character arcs, then dedicate Thursday and Friday to fleshing out our first episode.

And, once that’s done, it’ll be smooooooth sailing.  I’ll write an outline, possibly a revised outline, and then go to script.

Can’t reveal much about this project except to say that it’s a compelling, character-driven SF series chock full of surprises, humor, and warmth.  Every sci-fi show I’ve worked on in the past – SG-1, Atlantis, Universe, and Dark Matter – has been, at its heart, about the family.

I have no doubt – you’re gonna love it!

December 4, 2017: Busy busy!

A reminder to join us this Wednesday, December 6th, at 10/9c for a Dark Matter/Stargate live tweet event in which I’ll be fielding questions and offering insights on my 15 combined years on all four sci-fi productions.  Tell your friends!

Well, today was Day #1 of the writer’s room for one of the projects (let’s call it Project A) I’ve been working on.  David Ray and I spent the better part of the past month pitching ideas back and forth, rewriting and revising the series overview to the point where we now feel confident moving on to the script stage.  He, Alex, Samantha and I will take the next four days to beat out the tease, five acts, and the tag after which I will head off to hammer out an outline – and, eventually, that pilot!

Project B is another something in the works, the adaptation of an upcoming SF novel.  I pitched my take via email a couple of weeks back and, last Friday, had a follow-up conversation with the main players.  This one looks to start moving quickly in the near year.

Project C is another book to screen adaptation, this one of a pulp classic from the 60’s.  I delivered my take last week and anxiously await feedback.  I pitched it to my old pal, Alexander Ruemelin, who seemed particularly enamored with the idea. Yep, this one would be all sorts of crazy.

Project D is yet another book to screen adaptation, this one in the horror realm.  At this point, just some early conversations with a couple of interested production companies, and some intriguing discussions with the author who I’ve gotten to know over the past two months.  I am (and have always been) a big fan.

Speaking of being a big fan of a certain author, there’s this SF heavyweight I’ve admired for years – and now I may finally get the chance to adapt one of this books.  I was approached a couple of weeks ago by the head of another production company regarding the possibility.  I said yes before I’d even read the book, and was even more emphatic after completing it.  This one would be BIG and nothing short of amazing.  Let’s call it…Project E.

But wait, there’s more!  I’m in early talks to help develop a series based on another sci-fi book.  I loved the author’s last novel and the premise to her latest is insanely intriguing.  Project F.

Project G would be big to small screen adaptation of a movie (some might call it sci-fi, others horror).  I forwarded by vision for the potential series a couple of weeks ago and am still awaiting word.  This one is a bit of a long shot as I’m fairly firm on the approach I want to take here.

Of course there’s Masked, the superhero-themed anthology I’ll be pitching in L.A. come January with my producing partner, Vanessa Piazza, along with those other comic book-related prospects, the live-action treatment of that anime series, and a couple of other development gigs.  Believe it or not, I even turned down a few projects that I felt weren’t a good fit.

It may seem like a lot but, realistically, in this business, you have to have multiple irons in the fire.  Sure things can flounder and fade while long shots have a way of defying the odds.  The plan is still to produce one more 5-season show and then retire and live off Suji’s various endorsement deals.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to post their spooky stories.  I won’t sleep a wink tonight!

Hey, Melissa O’Neil (Dark Matter’s TWO) is auctioning off a couple of her character’s jackets to raise money for local food banks.  If you’d care to own a piece of Dark Matter history, check out the auction here: https://www.32auctions.com/TwoJackets

December 3, 2017: Brush with the supernatural!

We’ve all experienced them at least once in our lives, those inexplicable, unnerving instances that make us wonder whether dark forces are at play, their subtle and sinister hands manipulating our reality from afar.  They leave an impression, an indelible mark at the deepest levels of your subconscious, buried away by overwhelming reason, the steadfast grip of sanity, and a fear of the unknown and explained.  We all have these stories.  This is mine.

It happened so long ago, I can barely remember when, but I do recall it was a quiet night at my childhood home.  The plan had been for a group of us to get together and resume play on a gaming campaign interrupted by an early school night, but a storm front had moved in late that day, washing out some of the local roads, making for treacherous driving conditions.  A couple of my friends had already called to cancel.  The simple fact that I hadn’t heard from the others gave me hope that, perhaps, we would manage to salvage the evening by literally weathering the storm that was battering the area with high winds and a torrential downpour.  My parents were out, stranded at my aunt’s place, my sister visiting a classmate, leaving my friend Paul and I alone in the empty house, seated downstairs, waiting.

The lightning flashed and the basement lights flickered.  I could sense Paul’s unease, his impatience.  It was looking increasingly likely we were going to be rained out.  As both our eyes slowly gravitated to the clock ticking past 8:30 p.m., I was suddenly struck with a thought.  “Hey.  I have an idea.”  Without explanation, I got up and disappeared through the door in the back.

Paul followed me, past the washer dryer, and into the garage where I hunkered down at the foot of a mountain of discarded childhood treasures.  The garage bulb had burnt out long ago and we hadn’t gotten around to replacing it, so I searched in the darkness until I found what I was looking for, retrieving it from the pile and holding it aloft.  “Got it!”.  From where he was standing, he couldn’t tell what it was at first but, once we stepped into the light, he realized – and frowned.  “Seriously?” In my mind, the circumstances couldn’t have been more perfect.

I don’t know how my sister had ended up with the ouija board and, looking back now, I’d think it would have been something my mother, a minister, would have frowned upon.  Then again, she may have simply dismissed it as one of many silly board games along the lines Clue or Sorry which also lay buried, somewhere, in that corner of the garage.  Surely, Hasbro’s recommendation of “Ages 8 and up” was enough to forestall any ominous implications.  And Paul seemed to be of like mind when, after a roll of his eyes, he acquiesced with a shoulder shrug.

We cleared the table of multi-sided dice and hand-painted figures, and set it up – the faux wooden board with its ornate letters and numbers, eerie images in its four corners: a grimacing sun, a frowning moon, practitioners of the dark arts pictured on lower left and right.  At the top, the word OUIJA flanked by the words YES and NO; at the bottom, the word GOODBYE inexplicably, forebodingly, split in two.  We sat down and touched our fingers to the heart-shaped plastic diviner, what the instructions referred to as “the planchette”.  It was surprisingly warm to the touch. Suddenly, a thunderclap jolted us out of our seats.  It was, I thought, as if some supernatural force was warning us off.  But I didn’t give voice to my mounting dread and if Paul had similar concerns, he didn’t speak them either.

“What do you want to ask it?”I said.

Paul briefly considered and then, decided: “Who’s going to win the Super Bowl?”

A fair question.  As we resumed our positions, the tips of our fingers gently resting on the planchette, I voiced the question aloud as if in so doing, I was communicating directly with the spirits.  “Who’s going to win the Super Bowl?”

As we sat and waited, utter silence descended upon us.  Strangely, mysteriously, the thunder and rain had stopped.  I could almost feel my own heart beating through my chest.  The basement lights flickered once again.

Five minutes.  Ten minutes.  Then, a movement, ever so slight, what at first I suspected to be Paul moving the planchette may well have been my own trembling fingers.  I took a breath and refocused.  Five minutes.  Ten.  Fifteen.  Another movement, ever so slight.  I realized, I was holding my breath.  We waited.  And then, Paul broke the silence: “Boy, I hope it’s not trying to spell San Francisco Forty-Niners!”

True story.

Okay.  Your turn!

December 1, 2017: Upcoming Genre Shows!

There’s a lot to genre programming to look forward to in 2018 (and the end of 2017).  Judge Dredd: Mega City One, Umbrella Academy, Myst – to name but a few.  And then there are the following intriguing candidates, much closer to a screen near you…

Dark (Netflix)

Premieres today

Counterpart (STARZ)

Premieres January 21st, 2018

Altered Carbon (Netflix)

Premieres 2018

Castle Rock (Hulu)

Premieres 2018

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (Amazon)

Premieres 2018

Which ones are you looking forward to?

 

Tagged: Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Starz

November 30, 2017: Wednesday, December 6th at 10/9c! It’s another Dark Matter tweetfest!

Circle the date and tell your Dark Matter and Stargate-loving fans.  We’ll be meeting up on twitter to talk about a few of our favorite shows.  If you have questions about DM, SG-1, SGA, or SGU, I’ll be online fielding them for the better part of an hour.  What Stargate cast-member binge-watched almost 200 episodes of the franchise of the course of a month?  What character was the inspiration for Dark Matter‘s resident tech-monkey, FIVE?  What was the inspiration for the design of the Mikkei destroyer?  Which actor cracked my rib on the very first day of production?

Let’s reminisce.  Wednesday, December 6th at 10 pm EDT/7 p.m. PDT.

And just so our international fans don’t feel left out, I’ll be doing another one the week following (date and time to be announced!).

Come join us for a trip down memory lane(s) – and, of course, stay tuned for our secret hashtag!

Looking forward to catching up with everyone!

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A lot people in the industry do it for the fame, the awards, the accolades.  Others do it for the love of the art.  I do it mostly for the whiskey – like, say, this fine bottle of Jefferson’s bourbon sent my way compliments of Dark Matter fan Trev in Victoria.  Thanks, buddy.

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A thank you as well to Tanja in Germany who sent a package of goodies via post: chocolate-covered marzipans (How’d you know???), art work, and toys for the dog. Pictured above: Lulu french kissing her new reindeer pal.

Finally, while yesterday was new comic book day, today was old comic book day on comixology as more classic titles are digitally released.  And so, as a brief follow up to yesterday’s best new covers entry, I give you my favorite classic comic book cover of Thursday, November 30th, 2017:

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Action Comics #317 (cover art by George Klein and Kurt Swan)

The rainbow faces of Superman.  My favorite is his purple face.  Oh, shit!  Superman is pissed!

November 29, 2017: Awesome Comic Book Covers – Week of November 27th, 2017!

In what has become a weekly Wednesday tradition, here are my favorite comic book covers of this week’s newest releases:

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Batman: Creature of the Night #1 (cover art by John Paul Leon)

At the heart of the Batman story is Bruce Wayne, an orphan forever driven by the deaths of his parents and this cover neatly encapsulates the theme of innocence lost, the contrast of light and dark with the young child in the foreground in what I assume is his Halloween outfit, the ominous gunman (who bears a striking resemblance to The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus BTW) looming large in the background, tragedy set to strike.

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Eternity #2 (cover art by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic)

As a sucker for creature designs, I can’t help but love this portrait of an other-worldly creature with its horn like protuberances, inhumanly narrow chin, shocking white eyes, and affinity for turtlenecks.

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Glow #1 (cover art by Anny Maulina and Dia Ja)

I really like the earthy hues of this post-apocalyptic (?) cover – all browns and beiges, grays, and blues, with a tiny shock of teal in the foreground shirt worn by the youngster staring up at the foreboding tower.  I appreciate its elegance.

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Heart Throb: Season 2 #5

Now this one is interesting – a classic automobile, its driver his back to us, glimpsed through some opaque filter.  A marked contrast to the hard line candy color displays of some of the younger skewing titles.

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Lola XOXO: Volume 2 #5 (cover art by Siya Oum)

Syia Oum’s pencil work is sublime, the details of our young protagonist and the curious backdrop elements (the Hollywood sign, the gas mask) telling a tale in a single static shot.

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Old Man Logan #31 (cover art by Mukesh Singh)

Probably the most beautiful covers of the week right here.  The colors are gorgeous and check out the texturing of the red leather outfit, Logan’s jacket, the details of the hair, the serrated blade.

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Renato Jones: Season 2 #5 (cover art by Kaare Kyle Andrews)

A moment of clarity amid the violence as our protagonist draws respite, oversized gun still smoking, bullet holes and blood marking the backdrop.

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Skies of Fire #4 (cover art by Pablo Peppino)

I have to give it up to artist who creates a gorgeous circa WWI tableau incorporating six distinctly different characters (seven if you count the dog).  Some really nice touches here with the shading, the suggestion of a breeze in the frozen flow of hair.

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Beauty #17 (cover art by Jeremy Haun and John Rauch)

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more beautifully eerie set of covers than the offerings for this unnerving little series, and the latest entry delivers yet another gem.  Contrast the gorgeous textures of the dress with the cracked skin and decaying visage of its owner.

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Ghost Butterfly (cover art by Martyn Lorbiecki)

This one is foreboding yet borderline whimsical, reminiscent of water color work of Jeff Lemire.  Very intriguing.

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The Ghost Fleet: The Whole Goddamned Thing (cover art by Lauren Affe, Jonah J. Hill, and Daniel Warren Johnson)

Okay, let’s talk composition.  Lonely, cowed figure at the bottom surrounded by a sparse emptiness, a veritable avalanche of destruction raining down in a torrent of mud and metal.

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Rosalynd (cover art by Stephan Franck)

Often the simplest of covers are the most compelling.  Who is this lonely figure with the suitcase?  What circumstances have found her in this beguilingly bleak setting?

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The Woods vol. 8 (cover art by Michael Dialynas)

Originally, I wanted to cap my selections at single issues, but a few collected editions this week were just too beautiful to overlook.  Like this puzzling snapshot of a windswept warrior on his long drop down.  He’s falling, not flying, but something about his body language, that open-armed acceptance, seems to suggest he knows exactly what he’s doing.

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SAM vol. 1-3 (cover art by Shang)

Either of the covers for these three volumes would rank as my favorite of the week, so I include all three (since, appropriately enough, all three were released today).  There’s a wonderful anime feel the proceedings – giant robots, kids, and post-apocalyptic mayhem.  Love the design work.

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Injection vol. 3 (cover art by Jordie Bellaire and Declan Shalvey)

Another excellent cover in a long line of excellent covers for this series.  A convergence of tech and nature, and a foreboding sense of the calm before the storm.

November 28, 2017: My Snow Monkeys are playoff-bound!

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Look who’s smiling now

I think we can all agree that, amidst all this talk about Hollywood and television production and the pitching of various projects, we often lose sight of what’s truly important: fantasy football.  Well, I’m pleased to report that following twelve hard-fought weeks in which I lost my #1 draft pick to season-ending injury, had to drop another four draft picks due to underperformance, picked up and dropped and instantly regretted when somebody else picked up Bills tight end Charles Clay, my Snow Monkeys secured their first playoff spot in ages.  With one more week to go in the regular season, we’re sitting in 5th place with a record of 7-5, the most points scored, and poised to really make a post-season splash.  I mean, look at this team –

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Gurley, Kamara, Hyde and Peterson in the backfield.  Brees leading the likes of Hopkins, Funchess, Adams, Davis, and Shepard.  Doyle and (the oft-injured) Reed at the TE position.  And a fearsome Panthers D feasting on opposing offenses.  We’re unstoppable!

With the exception of weeks 1, 5, 7, 8, and 10.

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Oh, in addition to managing my Snow Monkeys, I also caught two movies: Killing of a Sacred Deer and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.  The first boasts a terrific premise and is well-directed with some truly unnerving scenes, but is somewhat undone by a discordant score and awkward dialogue that, at first, lends to the film’s underlying uneasiness but, after all awhile, just gets annoying and borderline comical.  The movie ratchets up the suspense in increments, slowly but surely building towards a truly terrifying climax.  Still, to fully appreciate this one, you need to throw logic out the window.  It’s one of those movies that leaves you stunned – and then, upon further consideration, somewhat dubious.  A brilliant performance by Barry Keoghan.

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Speaking of brilliant performances, Three Billboards is full of them.  Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell blow the doors off the Oscar bus. An incredibly compelling story with wonderful moments of humor – oh, and one unfortunate scene involving a coincidental overheard conversation.  Still, highly recommended.

For the rest of the week, it’s lunch, dinner, and in-between meetings.  Some sit-downs with a couple of authors.  The creative gear-up for next week’s writers’ room.  And a phoner with one of the Big Ten regarding a couple of proposed book-to-screen adaptations.  The plot thickens…

November 27, 2017: Teaming up again with amazing Vanessa Piazza!

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Dark Matter’s Vanessa Piazza

Over the course of my three years show running Dark Matter, I’ve given shout-outs to the various individuals whose talent and commitment to their craft made it all possible.  I’ve referenced the cast, the crew, and the post-production personnel who made coming to work every day such a delight.  Chiefest among them was Vanessa Piazza – Executive Producer and all-around troubleshooter – who not only helped set up the series (I honestly don’t think we could have gotten that green light without her), but was an active force throughout the long, often challenging, ultimately rewarding process.

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Vanessa on set with fellow producer Ivon Bartok.   

She was by my side throughout early prep (construction of our standing sets, costumes, props, casting), production (in all of the prep meetings for each episode, spearheading negotiations, supervising the on set action), and post-production (weighing in on music, visual effects), identifying and addressing the merest flicker of issues before they could become fires in need of putting out.  It would be a disservice to refer to her as my lieutenant.  She was my partner and I will be forever in awe of her skills as a producer and her business savvy, and forever grateful for everything she did for me, and for Dark Matter.  I honestly don’t think I could have done without her.

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Vanessa and former Lost Girl Showrunner, the amazing Emily Andras.

As you can probably tell, I’m a big fan – so when the opportunity to partner with her presented itself again, I jumped at the chance.  As of today, we’re collaborating on multiple projects (one already announced, the others to come) and I’m looking forward to our next show(s) together.  And who knows?  Maybe we’ll find a way to reunite with many of the other great people we worked with in our Dark Matter days.

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Vanessa and former Lost Girl showrunner – the magnificent Michael Grassi.

I have a veerrrrry good feeling about this…

Introducing Vanessa Piazza

Women Behind Canadian TV: Vanessa Piazza

Women Behind the Scenes Spotlight: Vanessa Piazza

The Hottest Canadian Film and TV Talent You’ve Never Heard of – But Will

November 26, 2017: My cold weather dog!

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Winter is almost upon us and, while it’s almost impossible to coax my french bulldog, Lulu, outdoors at the mere sight of snow, our senior pug, Suji, loves the frisky weather.  I don’t know what it is – maybe the fact that she was, literally, raised in a barn – but she seems impervious to the elements and has no problem with snow.  Hell, she loves the stuff – sniffle-snaffling and trotting aboubt, literally punching down the soft powder with her paws until WE have enough, scoop her up and bring her inside.  I suspect she may have some Viking blood in her.

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Warm AND fashionable.

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Rudolph’s substitute.

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Seeing triple.  Natural Japan Eats, a farmer’s market favorite for Japanese treats, created these awesome Suji onigiri.

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Carbing up for those cold winter months.

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Of course, being cosy warm indoors aint so bad either.

November 26, 2017: Happy Dark Matter Family Day!

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