In the same vein as other wonderful BBC shows like ‘Being Human’ and ‘Torchwood’, the campy and smart Sci-Fi series ‘Primeval’ on ITV is taking a first class flight to Canada. In a thirteen episode spin off called ‘Primeval: New Order,’ it will be “older, darker and scarier” than the UK original and be shown at 9pm. The series will use characters and story-lines from the British ‘Primeval’ series, while inserting new Canadian characters and story-lines into the local version.
The original ‘Primeval’ is a high-budget series, that follows Professor Nick Cutter and his team as they investigate anomalies in time found in the Forest of Dean. An unfortunate side-effect of the anomalies is that dinosaurs are moving through them and into the present time, making the team’s investigations that much more stressful. Cutter’s wife also disappears while investigating the anomalies and he makes it his mission to find and save her.
Corrie Coe, senior VP of independent production at Bell Media stated;
“This is a truly unique opportunity, building a parallel, yet independent series that will appeal to existing fans and new audiences, This new Canadian series offers a fresh world of possibilities in terms of characters and stories, while including some favourite elements from the original U.K. Primeval,”
And in a quote from BroadcastNow.Co.UK;
“Impossible Pictures has secured an order from Canadian sci-fi broadcaster Space for an “older, darker and scarier” post-watershed spin-off of dinosaur drama Primeval.”
‘Primeval: New World’ will start filming later this year in Vancouver, with an order of 13 episodes costing $2.5m each. Set in Vancouver against the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, the Canadian sci-fi spin-off promises elements that Space viewers already know from watching the Brit ‘Primeval’ series on the Canadian cable channel, while including darker storylines from an all-Canadian writer’s room. There’s currently no release date for ‘Primeval: New World’ but ScienceFiction.com will bring you updates when they are available.
As a fan of the original, I can say that this spin off may very well fill the void left from ‘Stargate Universe’ that so many loved. While the amazing ‘Stargate’ Franchise can never be replaced, we can take comfort that good Sci-Fi stills exists.
