CULT - From the Creator of Farscape - on The CW

[Sawyer]

Deadline:

The CW Greenlights Mystery Drama Pilot
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

The CW got in the pilot pickup game early this year with a green light for Cult, a mystery drama from veteran sci-fi writer producer Rockne S. O’Bannon produced by Gossip Girl co-creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. This marks a happy ending for O’Bannon who first landed a pilot order for Cult six years ago at the WB but the project became a casualty of the UPN/WB merger into the CW. Written by Farscape creator O’Bannon, Cult was first developed during the CW’s maiden pilot season. It centers on an inquisitive, young female production assistant on a wildly popular television show called Cult who, after a rash of disappearances and a likely murder, joins a journalist blogger in investigating the rabid fans of the series who might be re-creating crimes seen on the program in real life. O’Bannon and Fake Empire’s Schwartz, Savage and Len Goldstein are executive producing for Warner Bros. TV. If picked up to series, Cult may air as a limited-run 13-episode per season, a model employed by the premium (and some basic) cable networks but rarely by the broadcast nets. Broadcast shows done that way include ABC’s hit Lost.

O’Bannon originally set up Cult at the CW predecessor the WB in 2005, also through WBTV. In that incarnation, the project centered around two brothers, one of whom is involved in the fan community of a fictional TV series called Cult. When he goes missing, his brother begins to investigate his disappearance and discovers that it may have something to do with the fandom of the show. Back then, O’Bannon said in an interview that the project was “based on my experiences with the Farscape fan community, obviously taken to an extreme.” “One of the aspects of Cult is the subculture that grows up around a television series, it’s kind of a show within a show.” The project got to a pilot stage, and White Collar star Matthew Bomer was cast as the lead but days later Warner Bros. and CBS announced the launch of the CW. Cult became the first major victim of the UPN-WB merger, as the pilot was scrapped a week after the announcement. WBTV remained high on the project, which was redeveloped at the CW and was set it up at ABC at one point before returning to the CW this season and making it full circle with a pilot pickup.

Cult marks the first pilot order for new CW president Mark Pedowitz. It represents a blend of the CW’s core brand of serialized dramas with young female protagonists and procedural elements. In addition to Cult, Schwartz and Savage have another project at the CW that is expected to get a pilot order, the Sex And The City offshoot The Carrie Diaries penned by Amy Harris.

CULT
Investigative journalist Jeff Sefton has learned to laugh off his brother Nate’s relentless string of obsessions, especially his latest rant that a hit TV show intends to harm him. However, when his brother mysteriously disappears, Jeff takes Nate’s paranoia seriously, and in the process uncovers the dark underworld of the TV show “Cult” and its rabid fans. The only person who seems willing to help Jeff with his investigation is Skye, a young research assistant for “Cult,” who has also started to grow suspicious of the increasingly dark happenings surrounding the show. The fictitious show, centered on the cat-and-mouse game between charismatic cult leader Billy Grimm and LAPD detective Kelly Collins, has become an obsession for its viewers – and now some of its devotees seem to be taking their fixation to deadly extremes in the real world. As Jeff and Skye dig deeper into the fan world, they discover that the gruesome plot twists on television are much more than fantasy for some very unfortunate people. The hardcore fans of “Cult” would kill to see what happens next…

The series stars Matt Davis (“The Vampire Diaries”) as Jeff Sefton, Jessica Lucas (“Melrose Place,” “Cloverfield”) as Skye Yarrow, Alona Tal (“Supernatural,” “The Killing”) as Kelly Collins and Robert Knepper (“Prison Break,” “Shameless”) as Billy Grimm.

CULT is from Fake Empire and Rockne S. O’Bannon Television in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers Rockne S. O’Bannon (“Farscape,” “V”), Josh Schwartz (“Chuck,” “Gossip Girl”), Stephanie Savage (“Hart of Dixie,” “Gossip Girl”), Len Goldstein (“Hart of Dixie”) and Jason Ensler (“Franklin & Bash,” “Hart of Dixie”). The pilot was directed by Jason Ensler and written by Rockne S. O’Bannon.

Officially Picked Up to Series Today. I was waiting until things were official, but this sounds intriguing as hell. The idea of doing cable-length seasons, the plot itself and Matt Davis as the lead... it all sounds good to me. I can't wait until a trailer hits.

[Webhead2006]

Sounds like a cool concept, I check out at least the pilot. To see if I like its direction.

[Sawyer]

I actually really like the whole cast. I'm curious to see Knepper in action, since he's really going to be playing two characters: the character on the show-within-the-show and the actor playing him.

[Sawyer]

Dammit, CW, I need a trailer.

[Webhead2006]

Nice to hear its picked up for mid season.

[Sawyer]

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

Hooooooly ****.

[gohei_]

This looks cool. Glad to see Matt Davis is still on the air after his departure from VD.

[Webhead2006]

That looks pretty cool.

[ravn0s]

seems warner bros. has taken the trailer down. is it available to watch anywhere else?

[Sawyer]

Someone else just put one up....

VIDEO-CLick to Watch!:

[Sawyer]

This show really seems like it could have crazy viral marketing to promote it, when the time comes. The premise seems like it would allow for that.

[The Question]

Will there be muppets? There were muppets in Farscape. I like muppets.

[Sawyer]

That'll be the hook. The end of the pilot will reveal that the leader of the killer fans is, in fact, a muppet.

[The Question]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

That'll be the hook. The end of the pilot will reveal that the leader of the killer fans is, in fact, a muppet.

Beaker.

It's always the quiet ones.

[SuperBatman]

This actually looks Interesting I might watch this just because Knepper is in it.

[Webhead2006]

I agree doing a viral markketing in the fall would be ideal was to push the show. Unless it gets bumped too fall in one of the other new shows get canned.

[Sawyer]

TV Line:

FRIDAY, JULY 13
Cult (The CW) | Stars Matt Davis, Jessica Lucas, Alona Tal and Robert Knepper joining executive producer Rockne S. O’Bannon. (Room 6BCF)

Sucks that the network hasn't released an extended trailer for this like they have done with the others, like Arrow. But at least we know it will be at SDCC.

[Webhead2006]

Sweet its going to comic con. My guess right now since cult is set for mid season they don't want to hype that. When they have all the new/returning fall shows that arre more priority. By chance has it been said how many episodes the show season order was for?

[Primal Slayer]

If it is mid season then should be 12 episodes

[Webhead2006]

Ok thanks primal

[Sawyer]

Promo Art

Boy, they really white-washed the **** outta Jessica Lucas there, didn't they? She looks more fair-skinned than Davis in that pic...

[Webhead2006]

nice artwork

[Sawyer]

TVOvermind:

Cult at Comic-Con: 8 Things You Need to Know About This Show Within a Show
Written By Clarissa on July 13th, 2012 at 2:51 pm

There’s something very different about Cult, the new midseason show on The CW, premiering in January. At Comic-Con, the cast and executive producers sat down with members of the press to try and unravel this mysterious new series. Here’s 8 things you need to know about Cult.

It’s a Show Within a Show. On television, there’s a show called Cult, which inspires a great deal of devotion from its fans. Robert Knepper plays cult leader Billy Grimm on the show, while Alona Tal plays Kelly Collins, a detective who used to be part of Grimm’s followers but now devotes her life to taking him down. Outside the show is Matt Davis’ character, Jeff Sefton, an investigative journalist who used to be a big deal but has since fallen from grace. When his brother, who was looking into Cult, disappears, Jeff’s investigative instincts kick in. While he digs deeper into the show, he finds an ally in the show’s research assistant, Skye (played by Jessica Lucas). Executive producer Len Goldstein wants both “worlds” of the show to feel real. “Our goal is to break two full series of stories [for the fiction TV series and the 'real world'].

The Showrunner is Important. No, not the showrunners of this show (although they clearly are important for the creative direction), but the showrunner of the fictional show Cult will play a part in the series, as the show hints that he may know far more about the mysterious happenings than one might assume. “He is definitely a character that will be revealed as we go further,” Len hinted. “Right now, he’s an enigmatic figure. He definitely plays a role but he’s very elusive.”

Romance May Play a Part. While this is undoubtably a mystery show, romance might brew. After all, it is the CW, Jessica Lucas joked. Matt Davis said after Skye and Jeff partner up because of their mutual suspicion of the show there’s an “undercurrent of sexual attraction and potential romance.” Jessica said that a romance will probably be inappropriate under the tense circumstances, but it will likely play a role.

Cult is Using a Cable Model. Because of the ongoing - and complex - mystery of the series, the producers have embraced the cable model of a shortened season. The first season, which will premiere in early 2013, will consist of 13 episodes. This will allow the writers to maintain the suspense with little-to-no breaks and keep the story moving along quickly. “Each episode will be jam-packed with stuff [so] we don’t have to hold back,” Len said.

The Idea Has Been Brewing for a Long Time. Rockne S. O’Bannon actually wrote the pilot for this show about five years ago after working on Farscape. While it took a long time to actually get a pick-up, that delay has allowed Rockne the opportunity to think about the show for a while. Len said that Rockne has about four seasons worth of stories brewing in his head. “Each season sort of serves as a chapter and a journey. We want each season to be a very satisfying season.”

Social Media Will Play a Part. Matt Davis expressed the desire of the show to help draw in the audience through the use of social media. Len acknowledged that social media does dominate television these days, and entertainment in general. The marketing of a show like Cult would allow for increased use of social media and interactive content for fans (which appears in the show itself). As long as the content itself doesn’t suffer, he’s all for it.

The Prison Break Connection. Robert Knepper’s role as T-Bag on Prison Break was a big selling point in securing the role of the enigmatic cult leader Billy Grimm. That iconic role showed the producers that Robert could play a bad-ass, charismatic character that fans really enjoyed. Robert acknowledged that he can’t really get away from playing these complex (sometimes creepy) characters, but he finds them fascinating.

The Line Between Reality and Fiction is Blurred. Rockne said that this show is all about figuring out what is television and what is reality. While Tal and Knepper’s characters on the show (Kelly and Billy Grimm) tell their story, their counter-parts in the “real world” (ie. the actors who play them) will also interact with other characters like Jeff and Skype as they try to solve the mystery of the show. Are the actors an instrument of the fictional show? We’ll have to wait and see.

Cult will premiere in early 2013 on The CW. Stay tuned for an exact premiere date.

I want it now.

[Webhead2006]

It does sound pretty sweet.

[sethypants]

Im totally psyched