Some
of this stuff is *old* news...
Roger
Daltrey, lead singer of the legendary rock group The Who and a veteran
genre actor, told SCI FI Wire that he enjoyed his upcoming guest stint
on TNT's original series Witchblade. Daltrey will play Father Del Toro,
"a priest with a twist in his tail," Daltrey said in an interview, referring
to the fact that the character harbors a dark secret.
The
episode involves the Vatican's alleged alliance with the Nazis during World
War II, said Daltrey, whose genre credits include Tales from the Crypt,
Sliders, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and a recurring
role on Highlander. "I can't say much because I don't want to give it all
away, but it was good fun," he said. "It was good to play a priest with
charm."
Besides
Witchblade, Daltrey is busy with other genre projects, including the film
thriller .com for Murder with Nastassja Kinski and a segment of VH-1's
music-based horror anthology series Strange Frequency. He added that he'd
love to return to Witchblade if the series returns for a second season.
"The
character could be reprised," Daltrey said. "He doesn't get killed off.
I'd be interested in doing it again. I enjoyed the job. They're great people
to work with, and [star] Yancy Butler was fantastic. Toronto [where Witchblade
films] in the winter is not much fun. I love Toronto. It's a great place,
but they can have their winters. Apart from that, I'd do it again."
Extract
from the San Antonio Express
Sometimes,
Yancy Butler says, ignorance is an asset. That's the only way she can explain
landing the role of Sara Pezzini in "Witchblade," a TNT movie that might
wind up as a series. After all, had the former "Brooklyn South" star gotten
so much as a glimpse of the "Witchblade" comic books before she auditioned,
Butler might not have even bothered. "I went in to test for the role and
then checked out the comic book for the first time," she says. "And my
reaction was, 'Oh, my God, what have I gotten myself into?' Because in
the comics, this is a very scantily clad and rather well-endowed woman.
"And I am not delusional. I am not that well-endowed, thank God. Not many
women are."
'Witchblade'
Prod Info
TNT
is hoping that they'll get big ratings for the upcoming Witchblade TV movie
based on the Top Cow comic book because such might earn it a regular series
berth on the network. Now, the film's producer, Perry Husman, is talking
about how they translated the popular comic series to the small screen.
Right
up front, Husman wants it to be known that the telefilm won't be just special
effects and action, saying, "Comic books very much come from a fantasy
world. We're doing more of a real-life show. So you take those two things,
mesh them together and get the best of both worlds."
Regarding
a possible TV series based on the film, Husman says, "In terms of a series,
there are a lot of possibilities and a lot of directions you can go in.
There are no rules or restrictions. Whether they are stories strictly about
Pezzini's life as a cop or her life as Sara Pezzini dealing with the Witchblade,
it's multi-faceted. We're not locked into anything, like a cop drama is."
Witchblade
Gets A Date
May
5, 2000 -- You won't have to wait until October to see TNT's Witchblade
movie. Nosireebob, it's gonna air this summer, specifically, Sunday, Aug.
27 at 8 p.m.
TNT
reps tell us the movie - starring Yancy Butler -- is all but done and is
in excellent shape, helping the network to schedule the pilot movie earlier
than anticipated.
Reports
from early screenings are very positive, and keep posted here for more
news very, very soon.
WITCHBLADE
WATCH
Witchblade
Talk
4/5/2000
-- What's new on Witchblade? We caught up with Top Cow's David Wohl at
the Orlando MegaCon over the weekend for the latest scuttlebutt on the
Witchblade television movie.
Wohl
and the Top Cow crew visited the set in Toronto last month, and he came
away very impressed with Yancy Butler, who plays Sara Pezzini.
"She's
great for the part," Wohl says. "You could really see her as Sara Pezzini."
Although
Wohl didn't see Sara in full Witchblade gear, he says he expects the movie
to have strong special effects.
Wohl
also noted that while there will be changes from the comic, there will
also be striking similarities.
"It
was kind of cool because some of the dialogue from the comic book leaked
its way into the script," he says.
WITCHBLADE
MOVIE
The
film was originally scheduled to air in October, but is in such good shape
the network decided to push it up on its schedule.
"I've
only seen preview/rough cuts. Not the entire edited version," said producer
Brad Foxhoven. "Comments: Cool!" Of the move-up date, Foxhoven said, "Yeah,
that's a good sign."
TV/COMICS:
Witchblade TV show to see the light?
The
pilot script may finally be ready, but who will play Sara Pezzini?
July
19, 1999
Looks
like we'll be seeing cool cop Sara Pezzini in live action form after all.
The
TV project based on the popular comic book Witchblade has been through
various delays, but Top Cow head Marc Silvestri told Detroit News Comic
Book Continuum that the show is now "alive and well, stronger than ever."
Writer
J.D. Zeik, who penned the recent action opus Ronin, was brought in and
has completed a script for a two-hour pilot based on the first eight issues
of the comic. This initial arc chronicles the choosing of New York City
Homicide Detective Sara Pezzini as the wielder of the mysterious, ancient
gauntlet known as the Witchblade.
Silvestri
also noted that the show has a definite serious tone. "It's a dramatic
series. It's not Xena. It's not Hercules. It's not campy in the least.
It's more the flavor of NYPD Blue, with element of the fantastic thrown
into it."
Hmmm.
While we love Witchblade, it's difficult to see how the thing will translate
smoothly to live action, especially if it takes itself too seriously. Special
effects that look dazzling on the painted panel of a comic can turn cheesy
and weird when translated into a live action form.
Also,
there's the issue of casting. While Silvestri acknowledges that whoever
is cast as Sara will "have to be able to carry the show," we're afraid
that the powers that be will prioritize physical appearance (i.e., The
Hot Babe factor) over actual acting talent. Sure, Sara's a babe, but there's
more to her than that.
Personally,
we think the show should go with a complete unknown for the part of Sara,
but we'd be OK with any actress who doesn't have Baywatch on her resume.
WITCHBLADE
STILL TO BE MADE
Top
Cow president Brad Foxhoven said that the Witchblade television movie and
series will continue on a production track for TNT despite Oliver Stone
disbanding his Illusion Entertainment.
"It
means absolutely nothing for the show," Foxhoven said. "The two of them
(Stone and Dan Halsted) are still attached and involved on a regular basis.
They are still dedicated in getting the show on the air and making the
most of its run.
"I
think it was just a natural progression for their relationship -- they
remain on great terms and will continue to work together. And we still
get along with both of them!"
Development
of a script continues for Witchblade, which will air first as a two-hour
movie and then as a series on TNT. The series, which has not been cast
yet, probably won't start until 2000. Original plans were for Witchblade
to begin production last fall for a January movie and a summer series.
Neither materialized, though, as a satisfactory script could not be completed.
Witchblade
TV Movie - Really!
Finally,
finally, finally! Witchblade is gonna be made!
January
20, 2000 -- After years of development hell, Top Cow's sexy and tough detective
with a mystical gauntlet appears ready to go before the cameras in a TNT
pilot movie.
David
Wohl, who has written his share of Witchblade comics stories, tells us
that we should be hearing who will be playing Sara Pezzini on the small
screen very soon. "I am excited, and I believe the casting choices will
be made by next week," says Wohl, a producer for the TV movie.
Production
on Witchblade is expected to start Feb. 14 in Toronto - Happy Valentine's
Day, Sara! - and continue for a month. Ralph Hemecker is directing.
Plans
have been and remain for Witchblade to become a weekly TV show on TNT,
spinning out of the movie. The biggest holdup with Witchblade has been
the script, but last year screenwriter J.D. Zeik, whose credits include
Ronin, delivered the goods.
"This
new guy amazingly enough realizes that the book transfers (from print to
television) very well, almost directly," said Top Cow honcho Marc Silvestri.
"This
guy got it. The concepts and the characters are all intact. Sara's great.
You've got Jake in there and he's great. Irons and Nottingham, the characters
are right there.
"It's
all pretty true to the original book. The two-hour pilot follows the eight-issue
arc that started it."
WITCHBLADE
series? [horroronline.com]
8/31/99
~Can it be that the scantily-clad WITCHBLADE comic-girl shall be baring
more on a *gasp* television? According to Cinescape Online such may be
the case, as the cable network TNT has stated that a television series
based upon the popular comic book is currently in production!
With
single episodes budgeted at $1 to $1.5 million, it would seem that quality
is a principle in regards to the series, which will center around a magical
gauntlet acquired by one Sara Pezzini, a NYC detective.
Expect
ghouls, goblins and such a small amount of armour upon Miss Pezzini that
Red Sonja herself would blush! Stay tuned to Horror Online for more as
it becomes available!
With
a new script seeming in place, the focus now becomes casting, especially
the title character. "It's going to be difficult because she's really going
to have to carry the show," Silvestri said. "You have to buy into the fact
that whomever plays Sara is believable. Again, we're not going for the
funny stuff. I mean, there's humor, but this is a drama."
Silvestri
explained why Witchblade is such a difficult show to produce. "For something
like Witchblade, especially in this genre, we've got a couple of things
going against us," Silvestri said. "No. 1, it's always tough to get the
general populace to accept the super-hero thing. No. 2, it's a female lead,
which is also something tough to get the general populace to accept.
"So
we had those things that we had to be really careful of in order to pull
this off and have a successful show and keep the genre moving for years
to come - it's not too much of a stretch to say we could help the genre
or kill it and become the next NightMan."
Silvestri
said he expects to get top-notch talent attached to the show. "Like we
said last year, the thing that Oliver Stone's name brings to the table
is talent," Silvestri said. "We're not going to have a problem getting
directors. We're not going to have a problem casting this thing with really
great actors."
"Rest
assured, the only reason it was delayed was because we want it to be really,
really great," Silverstri said. "It's going to knock everyone's socks off.
"The delay kind of sucked, but, in the long run, it's going to be much,
much better."
BUTLER
CAST AS WITCHBLADE (Feb 4, 2000)
Yancy
Butler has been cast in the title role for TNT's upcoming Witchblade television
pilot movie.
Butler,
29, grew up in Greenwich Village, N.Y. She has experience in science-fiction
television, having starred in NBC's Mann & Machine and an episode of
HBO's Perversions of Science. Her credits also include the feature film
Drop Zone and TV series Brooklyn South and South Beach.
"I
think Yancy will be great in the role," said Top Cow's David Wohl, who
is a producer on the movie, which could lead to a weekly Witchblade television
series. "She definitely bears a resemblance to Sara. And she's a good actress
too!"
Sources
told The Continuum that Elizabeth Berkley and at least one high-profile
soap opera actress were considered for the part.
February
2, 2000 -- The long-awaited choice to play the title character in Witchblade
has been made! Portraying police detective Sara Pezzini in the upcoming
TNT two-hour pilot movie will be... Yancy Butler!
Butler's
credits include the Drop Zone feature film with Wesley Snipes and such
TV series as Mann & Machine, Brooklyn South and South Beach.
Sources
tell us that Butler's experience was a key factor in getting the role over
several actresses, including Showgirls' Elizabeth Berkley. And she does
kind of have that Michael Turner comics look.
WITCHBLADE
TV UPDATE
TNT's
Witchblade pilot movie is in post-production after wrapping up filming
earlier this month.
The
film, directed by Ralph Hemecker from a script by J.D. Zeik, remains on
target for broadcast in October.
Principal
photography on Witchblade - based on the Top Comics character -- finished
on March 18 in Toronto, with the second unit completing on March 19. The
movie was filmed for the most part on location in Toronto and the surrounding
area.
Sources
told The Continuum that the shoot went "very well" and that the film "is
looking great." For a television movie, Witchblade is said to be "heavy"
on special effects.
"They're
really behind it and are going to promote it," Wohl said. "They know they
have a lot riding on it and they promote their movies really well."
Top
Cow's Matt Hawkins added that he hopes to have a trailer for the Witchblade
movie up at the Top Cow web site and plans a presentation at the San Diego
Comic Con in July.
