Mark your calendars, people. The Steven Spielberg/Peter Chernin sci-fi drama Terra Nova will air its preview event across two nights: May 23 and May 24 at 9PM. Just like FOX did with Glee, the network is going to preview the new show before its fall 2011 debut in attempt to generate buzz.
Refresher: Terra Nova follows Jim Shannon (played by Jason O’Mara), a man who is sent back in time to prehistoric Earth with his family in an attempt to save the human race. At the Television Critics Association press event, the producers screened an action-packed trailer; unfortunately it did not reveal the dinosaur design since production on the pilot episode recently wrapped and the special FX have yet to be finalized. However, many people connected to the show shared their thoughts on what to expect. Executive producer Brannon Braga (24, FlashForward) explained, “Earth is essentially dying – most animal life is extinct. They’re hoping to re-start humanity through this time fracture they’ve discovered.” The plan for the Shannons and over 1,000 time-travelling colonists is to re-colonize the planet in the past. “What effect that will have on the future, they hope it’s a positive one,” said Braga. “The characters are hoping for a second chance.” The show will have “continuing elements of suspense…[but] at the core of this show is the Shannon family.” Director Alex Graves (Fringe) says that Terra Nova is “not a scary show. It’s an adventure show. My kids have seen some of it and they love it.” He continued, “You’re going to see dinosaurs you haven’t seen before.” When asked to compare this show to groundbreaking series Lost Graves said, “It’s so made for a massively broad audience, I cannot tell you.” Insinuating that Lost catered to a very specific audience he then noted, “Terra Nova, more than anything I’ve ever done in my life, is for everybody.”
Then Braga shared some concluding remarks about the promise of this show. “It’s just a great concept. Philosophically, it’s the closest thing to Star Trek I’ve worked on since I read that show years ago. I wanted to gravitate back to a science-fiction premise with big, humanistic ideas. ” He is compelled about the focus on “people from the distant future coming to the distant past.”
The show is being shot in Australia, so you can expect a beautiful backdrop. After watching the teaser trailer, IGN described certain aspects of the show as having a Jurassic Park meets Aliens vibe.
Today FOX released some stills from the two-part pilot episode slated to air this May; check ’em out after the break along with some character profiles. And if you’re interested in reading about the trailer shown at the TCAs today click the source link.
[Via IGN]
