SHARKTOPUS ATTACKS!

via Nikki Finke:

Back on January 3rd, I posted this Mogul Tip: Make More Movies With Sharks after the straight-to-video pic Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus finished No. 8 on Yahoo's Top 10 most viewed trailers of 2009. Now the Internet is all atwitter because Karen O'Hara, the director of original movies at Syfy, has announced via Twitter a greenlight for the long gestating Sharktopus!. Legendary director Roger Corman is a natural for the project because he's already given us Supergator, Dinocroc, and Dinoshark. If only Peter Benchley were still alive. Above is graphic artist Matt Leach's rendition of what the creature feature might look like. 

From a development perspective, this is where the story gets interesting. 

Seems O'Hara is tweeting the greenlight announcement AFTER asking her twitter audience what they would like to see in a movie named SHARKTOPUS.

Now we know this sort of thing has happened before with SNAKES ON A PLANE...

But those were re-shoots and editing decisions on a movie that was already shot.  SHARKTOPUS hasn't gone to script yet!

Ms. O'Hara we tip our pulp chapeau to you... not only for getting the pulp movie formula correct (audience response to the concept first, then movie) but also for bringing Mr. Corman and crew to your channel.

(And FYI , I happen to know someone who has a movie that would be perfect for your channel.  The story features rapidly evolving mutant, killer [REDACTED] attacking a group of [REDACTED] at a [REDACTED].

Muad'b not Kit Walker

If they went with the whole "Kit Walker is going to lead the Fremen into a new era..." premise for the upcoming THE PHANTOM from Syfy - I would be down with it.

But no...

See?

SyFy Addendum

Sent to me by my friend and pulp movie cohort in crime, Andrew Bellware...

SyFy New Website = Epic Fail

The website trailer here.

Besides the fact:

-- that all it needs now are pink bows and unicorns and this channel will be every MY LITTLE PONY fan's wet dream...

-- That there is no "Science" in SyFy. At least not any we can see in the trailer. It's all some fantastic, quasi-mystical claptrap.

This trailer is hard to load and the website doesn't allow you to make your own damn decisions on where you want to go until you do see the trailer.

Hey, I have an idea - why don't I set up a web server or two and set up a Hulu-like site where you can get all sorts of Science Fiction / Fantastic Television for a low cost yearly subscription? It certainly would serve fans better than SyFy. We could sell merchandise too - DVD sets, toys, games, t-shirts, etc...

Tell you what SyFy - instead of Imagining Greater, why don't you imagine you actually respect our intelligence? Why don't you imagine you actually respect what it is you do as a network?

Because here it is - every step of the way - you've shot yourself in the foot. Cancelling FARSCAPE. Not promoting BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's critical acclaim. Creating reality shows for the network that have absolutely NOTHING to do with reality or science fiction.

How about imagining you're an HBO and you're going to do good shows? Critically acclaimed shows no matter what the budget?

Why don't you imagine you actually have some sense of taste? (WWE? Really? WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? Really?)

If you actually created more shows you could be proud of - the BSG's, Eureka's, Farscape - then maybe you could actually hold your head high in pride instead of working twice as hard trying to put a dress on a pig and calling it art. Because when you do good work - word gets around. Fast. Hell, when you at least try word gets around.

But SyFy - admit it - you're embarassed to be associated with genre television. You want to broaden your demographic (Read: water it down, soften it). You want to go to parties and mention where you work. Again, the key to doing that:

Doing good work no matter what the budget.

(Case in point: DOCTOR WHO - 1960'S, 70'S 0r 80's. Shot on video. Still seen around the world)

Michael Jackson is dead and so is the Science Fiction Channel. At least Michael's funeral gets a Nielsen rating that's worth a damn.

Yet Another Sign of the Apocalypse...

The Robert Halmi Co. -- the same rapists who gave us the SciFi Channel's FLASH GORDON series a year or so ago -- have set their eyes on THE PHANTOM.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The Phantom” is getting a fresh take in a Sci-Fi miniseries. Rather than be daunted by the character’s past cinematic failures, producer Robert Halmi Jr. sees it as a chance to redefine the character.

“That there hasn’t been a successful ‘Phantom’ leaves the door wide open for us,” said Halmi, “since nobody has made it their own yet.”

Sci-Fi was drawn to the masked man because of his realistic setting, and lack of superpowers. “It’s not a guy in purple tights,” notes Mark Strong, Sci Fi channel executive. If the miniseries does well, Sci-Fi may turn it into an ongoing series in the hopes that they can fill the void left by “Battlestar Galactica.”

I predict disaster.