True Blood
BTR1701
HBO rolls with Ball's 'True Blood'
'Six Feet Under' creator to act as showrunner
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
Alan Ball is back in HBO's court, as the paycabler has officially
picked up the vampire series "True Blood."
Ball, who created the hit "Six Feet Under" for HBO, will exec produce
and showrun "True Blood," which is based on the novel series "Southern
Vampire" from author Charlaine Harris.
Net is still ironing out an episodic order and airdate, but "True
Blood" is expected to go into production this fall. Ball, who wrote
and directed the pilot, already has penned several more episodes.
" 'True Blood' proves that Alan continues as a master of his craft,"
said HBO entertainment prexy Carolyn Strauss.
Ball first started working on the project in October 2005, when he
signed a two-year overall pact with HBO. The project was eventually
rolled to this year, and was shot earlier this summer with stars Anna
Paquin, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Stephen Moyer and Brook Kerr.
Set in small-town Louisiana, series follows the world of vampires, who
are able to co-exist with humans by drinking a Japanese-manufactured
synthetic blood. While spooky, the show also contains a dose of humor
alongside the horror.
"Charlaine has created such a rich environment that's very funny and
at the same time very scary," Ball told Daily Variety after first
selling the project in 2005. "I bought the book on impulse and I just
couldn't put it down."
Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress who winds up falling for
the vampire Bill Compton (played by Moyer) and who has powers of her
own. Carrie Preston and Michael Raymond-James round out the cast.
Ball recently directed the film "Nothing is Private." Ball's Your Face
Goes Here Entertainment shingle will produce "True Blood" with HBO.
peachy ashie passion
> from variety
>
> HBO rolls with Ball's 'True Blood'
> 'Six Feet Under' creator to act as showrunner
> By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
>
> Alan Ball is back in HBO's court, as the paycabler has officially
> picked up the vampire series "True Blood."
Jeez I wish I believed they could do that series justice.
They are almost doomed to screw this up, aren't they?
Manfred Mann
Here is a radical thought: wait until you see the show before
condemning it.
William George Ferguson
wrote:
Depends on what you mean by 'do it justice', of course. The series will,
pretty much by necessity deviate from the plot and backstory of the books.
Books and tv weries are different media, and what works on one doesn't
necesarily work on the other. The important thing is whether they capture
the flavor of the books and make an interesting and enjoyable show out of
it.
Here's a short report card (where it isn't my take, but my read of a
consensus, I'll so indicate)
News From the Edge > The Chronicle
Extremely changed from the books, didn't really capture the flavor of the
books, did make an interesting and enjoyable show.
Dragonriders of Pern
What the network (WB) wanted was so at odds with the books that the
producer (Ron Moore) mercy killed it before the pilot was completed, out of
respect for Anne McCaffery. (the network wanted Lessa, Warrior Princess)
Dresden Files
Somewhat changed from the books. I didn't watch it, but consensus seems to
be that it did capture the flavor of the books and did make an interesting
and enjoyable show.
Victory Nelson Mysteries > Blood Ties
Only one really major change from the books, and it captures the flavor
very well.
Painkiller Jane
Somewhat changed from the comic. I don't read the comic, so I can't
address how well it captures the flavor, general consensus is that it sucks
lemons (I like it better than the general consensus, which is kind of my
praising it with faint damns)
Not Genre, but close
Temperence Brennen Investigations > Bones
Somewhat changed from the books, somewhat captures the flavor, does make an
interesting and enjoyable show.
So, book to series isn't necessarily absolutely abysmal (although it
certainly can be).
--
"Oh Buffy, you really do need to have
every square inch of your ass kicked."
- Willow Rosenberg
Ian Galbraith
Its Alan Ball, its bound to be worth watching no matter what.
--
"In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of
incompetence." - The Peter Principle
peachy ashie passion
> On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 12:32:48 GMT, peachy ashie passion wrote:
>
>
>>BTR1701 wrote:
>>
>>
>>>from variety
>>>
>>>HBO rolls with Ball's 'True Blood'
>>>'Six Feet Under' creator to act as showrunner
>>>By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
>>>
>>>Alan Ball is back in HBO's court, as the paycabler has officially
>>>picked up the vampire series "True Blood."
>>
>> Jeez I wish I believed they could do that series justice.
>>
>> They are almost doomed to screw this up, aren't they?
>
>
> Its Alan Ball, its bound to be worth watching no matter what.
>
Maybe. I'll watch, but I think the flavour of these is especially
hard to capture onscreen. It's not impossible, but it will sure be hard.
Ken from Chicago
"Manfred Mann" <Manfr...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:u92ec3h4r6f23a83d...@4ax.com...
You must be new to the internet, waiting to read the book instead of judging
by its cover ... as if!
-- Ken from Chicago
Ken from Chicago
"peachy ashie passion" <exquisi...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:QFBxi.37$wr3.34@trndny04...
20th century HBO, okay.
21st century HBO, gotta worry. Same network that rejected the
critically-acclaimed DAMAGES (which has been doing gangbusters on FX) and
okayed JOHN FROM CINCINNATTI (with mixed-reviews and cancelled in only a
half a dozen episodes).
Now if it was FX doing, that's the place you'd want it to be. Plus FX is
really good about marketing individual shows on their own and not blurring
it with other shows or as part of a network.
-- Ken from Chicago
Ken from Chicago
"Ian Galbraith" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:gjypaefxopty$.8sqrjvqtemkp.dlg@40tude.net...
At least initially. SIX FEET UNDER fell off in later seasons.
-- Ken from Chicago
Ken from Chicago
I would think USA might be better if you're going for a light treatment
since with MONK, PSYCH, BURN NOTICE, that network has a knack for comedy
adventure.
-- Ken from Chicago
Ian Galbraith
No it didn't, it got different, much like Buffy.
--
"Thomas Jefferson, for one, considered copyright a necessary evil: he
favored providing just enough incentive to create, nothing more, and
thereafter allowing ideas to flow freely, as nature intended." - Jonathan
Lethem
Ken from Chicago
No, SFU dropped in quality in later season. Ironically it lost the "fun" in
funeral by deemphasizing the funeral aspect that was so prevalent in season
1.
-- Ken from Chicago