Fox's TERRA NOVA Turning Into A Real Prehistoric Monster

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: New York Magazine

Remember last year when I spent a lot of time getting all geeked up about the upcoming dinosaur themed TV show being produced by Steven Spielberg called "Terra Nova"? Remember when I reported last August that the show had begun filming in Australia?

What ever happened to that thing?

Well according to the latest reports from the production the show has turned into a real monster of T-Rex proportions suffering from too many chiefs in charge of too few Indians. Sources on the set note that the production has twelve producers, no scripts beyond the pilot episode and not enough footage in the can to fill an episode.

The problems initially started when the script for the pilot was submitted to Fox. The story was too long for an hour-long episode and the production team began bickering about whether to lengthen the pilot or break it up into multiple episodes. When a two-hour pilot was decided upon Fox then opted to lay off most of the writing staff until the show got underway. With twelve producers trying to flex their creative muscle and pour weather conditions in Australia "Terra Nova" has developed into a real mess.

Fox is presently looking for a new hit show, which it desperately needs, so there is even more pressure to get these dinosaurs into households across America, and fast.

It looks like Terra Nova will need a monster of an enforcer to come in and put this all together or the whole soup will likely implode upon itself.

Plot - "Terra Nova," will follow the exploits of a family from 100 years in the future, that travels back in time to the age of dinosaurs.

See Also: Steven Spielberg Heads Down Under To Shoot TERRA NOVA / Steven Spielberg To Bring Dinosaurs To Fox

Steven Spielberg Heads Down Under To Shoot TERRA NOVA

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: WENN

Last February Fox had announced that they had acquired the rights to the prehistoric adventure television series "Terra Nova" from writers Craig Silverstein and Kelly Marcel after the duo had failed to sell the series in the UK and to CBS. Apparently the network was so enamoured with the idea of a 'time travel' show that featured dinosaurs that that they quite literally snatched the program up before the rival network could even begin negotiations, and immediately hired Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin to develop it.

Since that time Spielberg and company have been busy putting all the pieces together to start work on the series, and now Fox has announced that the production team is gearing up to head to south-east Queensland in Australia to begin shooting.

Jim Sharp,the vice president of production at Fox,explains, "Queensland had the right look, climate and terrain, a vibrant production community and attractive economic incentives. We are very excited to be shooting our first production there."

It is quite obvious that the remote areas of Australia would be ideal for a location shoot of this type for two reasons. One, the area is already 'primeval' enough on it's own, virtually untouched by man, and two, filming in Australia is way cheaper than filming in either the United States or Canada. With the estimated budget for the show already weighing in at a hefty $4-million-per-episode, any cost cutting move would be more than welcome I'm sure.

Reportedly "Terra Nova," will follow the exploits of a family from 100 years in the future, that travels back in time to the age of dinosaurs.

Think of it as a modern "Land of the Lost" or "Valley of the Dinosaurs".

Rumor has it that actor Jason O'Mara ("Life on Mars", "Grey's Anatomy") has been cast as the shows lead.

See Also: Steven Spielberg To Bring Dinosaurs To Fox

Steven Spielberg To Bring Dinosaurs To Fox

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Variety

Fox is hoping that Steven Spielberg can recreate some of his "Jurassic Park" magic for television.

The network has recruited Spielberg and Peter Chernin to helm a very ambitious new television series called, "Terra Nova," which will follow the exploits of a family from 100 years in the future, that travels back in time to the age of dinosaurs.

Reportedly Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Rice is so enamoured with "Terra Nova" that he is ready to give the series the green-light without even shooting a pilot.

The series, which will be co-written by Craig Silverstein and British scribe Kelly Marcel, had been shopped around the UK for some time before Rice got wind of it from Aaron Kaplan, the former chief of WMA TV.

It isn't too surprising that networks in the UK turned their noses up at an effects heavy series with dinosaurs, with ITV having trouble keeping the expensive, yet very successful, "Primeval", afloat.

It is believed that CBS also had a strong interest in developing "Terra Nova" for an American audience, but ultimately Rice and Fox pulled out all the stops to secure the rights.

At this point, there has been no formal word yet, but rumors indicate that Silverstein, Marcel, Kaplan, Spielberg and Chernin will all serve as executive producers on the series.


From the sounds of it, "Terra Nova" sounds like a modern take on "Land of the Lost" or "Valley of the Dinosaurs", which means that if the show has even a half-way decent story to it, success should be in the cards.

Hey, everybody loves dinosaurs!