Powers General Discussion

[Specter313]

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http://spinoff.comicbookresources.c...ould-be-known-by-march-1-charles-dutton-says/

 

[Specter313]

We learned just last week that Powers is in limbo while FX decides whether to reshoot the pilot for its “difficult” adaptation of the long-running comic series. Executives indicates, somewhat vaguely, that the future of the project would be known within the next couple of months. Now, however, we have a more concrete date: March 1.

“Last I heard, without bugging FX, is that they don’t know either … but they have to come up with something fast, because on March 1, everybody’s deal changes,” Charles S. Dutton, who plays Captain Cross, told MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival. “If I was a betting man, I would be hedging the bet, because we’re getting close to that contract date.”

Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, Powers follows Christian Walker (played by Jason Patric) and his new partner Deena Pilgrim (Lucy Punch), homicide detectives in the Powers division assigned to investigate crimes involving people with superhuman abilities. The pilot also stars Charles S. Dutton as Captain Cross, Bailee Madison as Calista, Titus Welliver as Triphammer, Alona Tal as Zora, and Carly Foulkes as Retro Girl, the popular superheroine whose murder leads to Walker and Pilgrim’s partnership.

Although FX President John Landgraf said in August that he thought Powers could reinvent the superhero genre on television, the series hit a snag when executives asked Charles “Chic” Eglee (The Walking Dead, The Shield) to rework the pilot script to address issues of tone and clarity. Now the network is left to decide whether to move ahead with reshoots on what Landgraf calls “as difficult an adaptation as I’ve ever worked on.”

Dutton seemed to agree, describing Powers as a “tough translation.” “I thought that the pilot was pretty good,” he said, “but it had some concept problems.”

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.c...ould-be-known-by-march-1-charles-dutton-says/

 

[Sawyer]

CBR:

While Bendis is working on new "Powers" comics, work continues on the "Powers" television pilot. "The good news was that the pilot was put together. I've seen it and it's not embarrassing on any level. It's very interesting, dense, and complicated like every FX show is. We were tested and the things that you need to continue forward we tested very well with. People liked our lead Jason Patric and the idea of the show. They said they would watch the show. So all of these things did very well," Bendis said. "If those things didn't do well we would have been dead. There were a couple areas that we needed to clarify for a mass audience, but they were very easy fixes. We also came up with an idea for an opening that we liked better than what we had.

"So here's the thing, FX is different from other networks. Other networks make a bunch of pilots and watch them once. They then test them and decide whether they want to put them on the air or not. If FX greenlights a pilot they're 80 percent sure that they're putting the show on the air. They reshoot pilots before they abandon them. From what I understand the 'Sons of Anarchy' pilot that aired was almost completely reshot from the original. It was done by our director," Bendis continued. "So they look at it as a first draft of a five-year investment in a series, which I think makes their shows better. I think that's why their success rate is so high. If a series doesn't connect with an audience it isn't from a lack of quality.

"So that's where we are now. The important stuff worked. There are rewrites happening as we speak and I talk with the other producers all the time. Just last night me and Chic Eglee, our show runner, had a wonderful conversation about 'Powers' involving things we can do right now and in the future. Also I have to say our network president [John Landgraf] is very intelligent and very invested. He's spending a lot of time with us," Bendis said. "I've been told by almost everybody working on this pilot that we're being very spoiled. The president of FX will call us to talk about 'Powers' in a philosophical manner and it's such a wonderful conversation. Everyone says to me, 'That's not how it is. And I go, 'I know. I've been around.'"

Bendis is enjoying the chance to collaborate with everyone involved with the "Powers" pilot, but the writer knows that ultimately if the show gets on the air it won't be because of his powers of persuasion. "There's nothing I can say or do to get it on the air except help make a quality show. If it doesn't go on the air then I will show it after 'Locke & Key' at conventions and smile and wave. So I'm hopeful and very proud of my collaborators. And in the back of issue #8 I talk about spending time on set with Mike Oeming watching this happen. It was a really special experience," Bendis explained. "Me and Mike were friends when we first started this. Now here we are over a decade later and we're more than friends. We're family. We'll be that way forever and to share this experience together and still be friends was really, really special and wonderful. All of that came about because people supported the book so vocally."

The producers of the "Powers" pilot were aware of the book's dedicated fan base and, to Bendis' surprise and pleasure, took fans' opinions into consideration when they were developing the pilot. "When the pilot was announced people got onto websites and started listing their casting choices. There were lots of posts and threads and I think iFanboy did a podcast about it. When we were in a casting meeting for 'Powers' someone in the network pulled out a print out of those various posts, and said, 'Let's talk about what's on these lists.' It was very cool," Bendis stated. "That's how seriously people's passion for this was taken. It went all the way up to the people who are going to make the pilot. So I hope that people who have been fans of this book take a lot of pride in that."

Bendis knows the passionate "Powers" fan base is one of the main reasons the television pilot happened and he feels like he let them down by not releasing an issue of the comic series for so long. Right now his immediate priority is getting new issues of the comics out to readers, but the writer told CBR he holds out hope that "Powers" will be picked up as a series on FX so fans can experience the story through a different medium.

"The book began with me writing it in my basement and Mike drawing the book in the security booth where he worked in the middle of the night guarding a parking lot. So we went from a lonesome experience like that to speaking with dozens of people who are all now making 'Powers.' They're all smart Peabody and Emmy-winners behind the television that I watch and love. So it brought all of this to me, and after I was all done I realized that I did not do my part and put more issues of 'Powers' out to keep it all going. I stopped things and I'm desperate to get it moving again," Bendis explained. "I can't wait to not only get issues of the book out to people who are waiting patiently, but also to unveil this TV project to everyone. I can't wait for people to see what I've seen which is Jason Patric looking just like a Mike Oeming drawing walking into a room and start questioning a subject. It was very cool."

There's still hope.

 

[Specter313]

Lucy Punch, who played Deena Pilgrim in FX’s Powers pilot, has landed a role in a Fox comedy project, signaling her departure from the stalled adaptation of the long-running comic series. But Powers co-creator Brian Michael Bendis was quick to assure fans the television show is still alive.

“Though Lucy Punch has moved on, Powers TV is not dead,” he wrote on Facebook. “If it was I would tell you honest & true. New scripts have been ordered for more episodes & there will be news in May about how we are going forward.The network is behind us all the way. It’s quite nice. It’s going to be a long haul but it’s all about quality. I desperately want the best show we can make.”

The cable network was expected to make its decision by March — Thursday, according to co-star Charles S. Dutton — whether to reshoot the pilot for what FX President John Landgraf candidly called “as difficult an adaptation as I’ve ever worked on.” After viewing the finished pilot, executives asked Charles “Chic” Eglee (The Walking Dead, The Shield) to rework the script, addressing issues of tone and clarity. However, Powers has remained in limbo since then while FX decided how, or if, to move forward.

While Punch’s exit is certainly a blow, it’s not unheard of for a lead role to be recast in the pilot stage — FX’s hit Sons of Anarchy, which underwent its own reshoots, famously replaced Scott Glenn with Ron Perlman. And the news of additional script orders is a clear indication the network hasn’t given up on Powers … yet.

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.c...ucy-punch-but-bendis-promises-show-isnt-dead/

 

[Specter313]

"Powers" Pilot Loses Its Cutter But Isn't Dead Yet

"Powers" – the FX Network adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's acclaimed superhero crime drama – has been on a long road from the pilot stage to the small screen. And though there continue to be some bumps in the road, it doesn't look like the journey is over yet.

After the initial pilot was filmed, FX President John Landgraf candidly called it “as difficult an adaptation as I’ve ever worked on," and the series was not picked up. However, it wasn't passed on either. Even as actress Lucy Punch moved on to other projects, Bendis was publicly stating how things were moving forward with more scripts being written as FX decided what to do about a potential reshoot.

In a video interview conducted in March and running tomorrow, CBR News spoke with actor Khary Payton -- who played Cutter in the pilot -- about the show's prospects at WonderCon and the actor dropped some interesting news about the cast for the show being let out of their contracts.

"The thing is that it's so cool. It's SO cool! I love it. I love 'Powers,'" Payton said. "I love Brian Bendis and Michael Oeming. Those guys are – I honestly think they just cast me in it so that I'd go buy all their comic books. I have no time for my three-year-old anymore. I'm reading Brian Bendis and putting Michael's picture on my wall."

"But they're amazing, and there really is a commitment. The higher ups want to do this so badly because they know it's going to be the coolest thing on television. But it's hard. It's a hard concept, I think, to get. And they had to step back and start over again. From what I hear, the plan is still moving forward."

"Unfortunately, we – all of the actors – got released. They're literally starting over. They want to do it again. And fortunately and unfortunately, I'm doing another show, and I still hope beyond hope that I can be a part of 'Powers.' But I'm happy to be working. But things are happening with 'Powers' absolutely. There are scripts being turned out. They just want more material to hear that they're getting it right."

As it was unclear from Payton's statements whether all the cast – including star Jason Patric – had been let out of their contracts, CBR reached out to a representative from FX who said, "I won’t comment on any of the actors contracts, but I’ll tell you this project is not dead, and it is still to be determined if we’ll move forward with reshoots on the pilot. There is currently no timetable on when to move forward."

CBR reached out to Patric's representatives for comments, but did not receive a reply by press time.

For now, fans will have to hold out hope that the order of more scripts and FX's repeated calls that the project hasn't died will eventually be enough to carry "Powers" through to the cable powerhouse.

Stay tuned to CBR News for more as it develops.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38003

 

[Sawyer]

I'm still crossing my fingers for this. I hope they can make it work.

 

[Sawyer]

Powers is still alive

That's fine from a writing standpoint, but what about the cast and the pilot they shot?

 

[Primal Slayer]

Im ready to face the fact that this is most likely never going to happen. Even if a pilot has been shot.

 

[Jordacar]

Not to get anyone's hopes up but...oh nevermind:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/07/28/powers-tv-series-update-fx-says-full-pilot-reshoot-may-happen

Powers TV Series Update: FX Says Full Pilot Reshoot May Happen

It’s been a long road for Powers at FX. Based on Brian Michael Bendis’ acclaimed comic book – about homicide detectives covering superhero-related crimes – a pilot was shot last year, which FX did not pick up to series.

However, that hasn’t been the end for Powers. FX, initially saying they expected to do substantial reshoots on the pilot were it to move forward, has continued to develop the project and today at the TCA (television Critics Association) press tour, FX president John Landgraf acknowledged the rather notable work being done for a series still not officially picked up.

I noted to Landgraf that earlier this week, Bendis himself had tweeted that he’d read up through the script for episode three of the potential series, and Landgraf replied, “Yeah. Brian has the benefit of reading scripts that I haven’t read! But what we ended up doing is hiring Chic Eglee, who had done the work on the pilot we shot. Not only to rewrite the pilot that we had shot, but to do three more episodes and put together a writing staff. So I think Brian has now read those scripts. I haven’t seen them yet. So we are going to end up having four scripts for Powers. And if we elect to move forward, yeah, I think we will just go back and reshoot the pilot from scratch, with a new cast in all probability.”

The Powers pilot shot last year starred Jason Patric and Lucy Punch as Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim. Punch has since moved on to become a series regular on FOX’s new comedy, Ben and Kate, but Landgraf did reveal, “I think there’s a possibility that some of the original cast members might return. Jason Patric certainly wants to look at the material and wants to render an opinion about whether he still wants to be involved in the project. But it’s just as likely, I think, that we’d just start from scratch and reshoot it.”

The fact that FX has commissioned the four scripts is certainly an encouraging sign - and seems to hint that if Powers does get the greenlight, the cable channel want to be ready to go quickly on subsequent episodes.

*do it*

 

[Shifty]

This show should already be done 1-2 seasons by now. It is great to see they wrote 4 scripts and still want to do this but what are the odds that FX doesn't like the new pilot and another cable channel scoops it up and turns into a decent cable hit? Either it works as a show or it doesn't. If this does work out it likely won't be on the air until 2014.

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01...lains-plan-for-guillermo-del-toros-the-strain

IGN TV: I feel like this is the twentieth press tour I’ve asked you about this, but Powers... Is it gone?

John Landgraf: No, still alive. We’ve been through so many incarnations. After we made the pilot, we actually developed three more [episode] scripts. So then we had a pilot plus three scripts, and we decided between the pilot and the scripts that it wasn’t quite the series that we needed it to be. When I say we, by the way, Brian Bendis is involved in every phase of this conversation and discussion. But one of the scripts was written by this guy named Charlie Huston, and he was a novelist. Both I and Brian and others thought, “Wow, there is actually something in the tone of this.” So Charlie was approached, I think by Brian, and said, “Look, would you be interested in taking on Powers?” And Charlie said, “Well, I’ve never actually adapted anything before in my life. I have only written novels and stuff of my own, but Powers is my favorite graphic novel, and yes!”

So what ended up happening was we reconstituted the whole thing around Charlie as the creator, with Brian. Charlie went up to Seattle, and they sat down and they talked, and read through all the books, and they came back with a new vision, basically. Essentially, a new pilot to begin with, which is a new, different story than the pilot that we shot. So that pilot is officially gone and dead, and the actors are all gone, but we’re developing a whole new pilot from scratch.

IGN: So basically at some point in the next few months you’ll evaluate whether you want to produce another pilot?

Landgraf: Yeah. What it’s always come down to for me is I know the underlying material is absolutely great. I know Brian has a vision, and Michael [Avon Oeming], but I feel like there have been so many great adaptations of graphic novels done that we have to add something. I would argue that what [Robert] Kirkman and his collaborators have done at Walking Dead has brought something to the table that didn’t exist before and that movies weren’t doing. I feel like we have to bring something to the table that doesn’t exist. Television adaptations of graphic novels, for the most part, have been the pretty good food you’ll take when really good food isn’t available, you know what I mean? For me, I’m not going to take second fiddle to Marvel or anybody. I’m not going to be able to make a $200 million negative, and I think that Marvel has done a great job at what they do, and they’ve created a template that really works, so I’m not going to imitate that. I want to make something else with Brian and Charlie and others that’s just as good but different, and trades on the particular strengths that television has in terms of what it can do. And if we can get Powers to that level, I’ll make another pilot, and I’ll put it on the air. But I’m not going to put anything less than an absolutely great version of Powers on the air. That’s like remaking a great film into a good film, and I don’t want to do that.

New writer on board, fresh start... lets hope this gains traction this time.

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2014/03/sony-pictures-tv-to-produce-drama-series-powers-for-playstation/

Sony Pictures TV To Produce Comic Book Drama Series ‘Powers’ For PlayStation
By NELLIE ANDREEVA

Sony’s PlayStation video game console is the latest digital platform to enter the original programming space. Its first show will be hourlong drama Powers, based on the graphic novel by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. The series will be produced by PlayStation sibling Sony Pictures TV, where the project had been gestating for awhile and went through several incarnation at FX, including a pilot. Powers for PlayStation represents a brand new take on the source material, penned by Charlie Huston. Returning auspices include Circle of Confusion as well as Bendis, Oeming and Michael Dinner who will executive produce with Huston and Remi Aubuchon (Falling Skies), along with Circle of Confusion’s David Engel, David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis. Bendis and Huston will serve as showrunners. Combining the genres of superhero fantasy, crime noir and police procedural, Powers, whose order is said to be around 10 episodes, is set in a world full of people with superhuman abilities and where all of those powers are just another catalyst for mayhem and murder. The series follows Detective Christian Walker, who is in charge of protecting humans like us and investigating cases involving the God-like men and women, referred to as “powers,” who glide through the sky on lightning bolts and fire and who clash above cities in epic battle, oblivious to the mortals below. No start date is set yet for the series, which is expected to be of premium cable quality. SPT will sell internationally.

PlayStation joins rival, Microsoft’s XBox, which announced Halo as its first original scripted series a year ago though the project doesn’t have a green light yet.

Ehhhhh.... Playstation? Really? If you're going to do this ****, do it on something I'd actually ****ing be able to get access to.

 

[Shifty]

There were rumours that Sony may buy AMC Networks (AMC, IFC, Sundance, WeTV) since they basically have nothing while their competitors have families of channels where they can put shows on or make deals with competing networks.

I have a PS3 but I wouldn't pay a subscription to see Powers. FX has three channels and FXX desperately needs content and they didn't want to try it out on there?

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

It make sense that Playstation is starting to offer original programming. Still I find it surprising that Powers would be one of their first as I thought that it would never get out of development hell. Having a budget in line with other premium cable shows is good news. I'll look forward to see how this will turn out.

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.deadline.com/2014/06/e3-sony-to-launch-playstation-tv-powers-show-youtube/

Powers, an exclusive digital video series based on Marvel’s comic book/graphic novels, has been greenlit to series and is in production. It will arrive at the end of the year from Sony TV and PlayStation in concert with Marvel. The first episode will be free to everyone on a PS4, and subscribers to Sony’s PlayStation Network Plus will get the entire series for free. “It’s also going to show us what a world with people with powers would look like,” said executive producer Brian Michael Bendis, who is also the comic’s co-creator. “I know that as gamers and comic book lovers, we love our genres hard-core. One of my jobs as exec producer of the show is to make sure that the TV show gives us what the comic book gave us, with all the authenticity we can muster.”

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I cannot begin to describe how much I love the idea of being forced to choose a preferred videogame platform and then have that same platform determine what tv show I get to watch.

 

[Sawyer]

Welcome to the future, Whiskey.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

If content restriction is the best the future has to offer, then the future is a ****ing *******.

 

[KevanG]

I'll just torrent it. I have a vague interest in getting a PS3 sometime in the future but I'm not getting one just to watch a tv show.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

I just... ugh. I've railed against videogame exclusives for years, but now they're dipping back into the well and playing at being tv and movie producers as well... just ****ing stop.

 

[Heretic]

I very much want to watch this show...but I don't play video games. I will not be buying a Playstation just to pay them again for a subscription to their network.

Sorry, but the future is NOT in having every single content provider charging me a buttload of money to watch their shows. It's too easy for me to wait and view your shows in other ways. What I would LIKE is to have Netflix and Hulu...and have everyone else send their content out to them. That doesn't seem to be happening though, as everyone wants to deliver their own product. They aren't going to get any money from me.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

They aren't going to cast this show properly anyway, and by that I mean

Patrick Warburton as Christian Walker
Katee Sackhoff as Deena Pilgrim

No I am not stuck in the past but thank you for asking.

 

[MadVillainy]

I think the actual idea of SONY or Microsoft creating their own TV shows and content is great. It's just another platform for hopefully good shows to get out there.

The problem is that they shouldnt just regulate them to the game systems. In the case of Microsoft. They should make the shows avalible on Xbox Video and not just streamable on 360 and Xbox One

 

[Destructus86]

NICE! Can't wait to watch this...i'm on PS Plus too so it's free!

 

[Sawyer]

David Slade Directing First Two Episodes

Now I HAVE to find a way to see this.