Sex and Secrets in Space: New CTV Series DEFYING GRAVITY Lifts Off August 2
Taylor
August 2
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 - 01:14 PM
Channel Canada, KJIH-TV Media
www.tinyurl.com/kjihtv
As Canadian astronaut Julie Payette preps for the launch of Space
Shuttle Endeavour tomorrow morning to join fellow Canadian astronaut
Robert Thirsk on the International Space Station, CTV is also
preparing to defy gravity. The new CTV/SPACE drama series DEFYING
GRAVITY debuts Sunday, August 2 at 9 p.m. ET in a special two-hour
super-simulcast premiere on CTV, /A\ and ABC. CTV’s fourth cross-
border scripted series continues August 9 in its regular timeslot,
Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast
times). Created by GREY’S ANATOMY’s James Parriott and executive
produced by DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES’ Michael Edelstein DEFYING GRAVITY is
a sexy, provocative space thriller set in the very near future,
following eight astronauts – from five countries including Canada – on
a mysterious mission through the solar system.
As the Canadian representative on DEFYING GRAVITY’s International
Space Station Antares, smart and to-the-point biologist Jen Crane
(Canadian actress Christina Cox) suffers no fools. Wise and
supportive, with an opinion on everything, her “honeymoon in space” is
derailed when her husband Rollie is removed from Antares in the
eleventh hour, only to be replaced by Ted Shaw, with whom she has an
illicit history.
Following the CTV/ABC broadcast premiere, encore episodes of DEFYING
GRAVITY air on demand on the CTV Video Player at CTV.ca. The series
will premiere on SPACE at a later date.
On November 4, 2008, CTV, along with Fox Television Studios and
Vancouver’s Omni Film Productions Limited, jointly announced the
series co-venture, with CTV as lead broadcaster. Production began
January 17, 2009 in Vancouver and wrapped June 19. Three weeks later
ABC announced it had ordered DEFYING GRAVITY for broadcast in the
U.S., the fourth drama series CTV has been involved in to also air on
a major U.S. network in primetime.
“DEFYING GRAVITY is a sexy, beautifully shot drama full of mystery,
suspense and intrigue,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative,
Content and Channels, CTV Inc. “With a stellar international ensemble
cast set against the backdrop of space millions of kilometres from
Earth, Jim and Michael have delivered a drama that is truly out of
this world”.
“DEFYING GRAVITY has been a labour of love from the very beginning,”
said Creator and Executive Producer, James Parriott. “Part of what
made it so was the wonderful collaboration with our partners in
Vancouver. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see the show getting its
ideal on-air home in Canada, the United States, and
around the world.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnsOU4BvkDU&feature=player_embedded
In the two-hour DEFYING GRAVITY series premiere (Sunday, August 2 at 9
p.m. ET), two of the eight novice astronauts onboard mysteriously
develop heart ailments only hours after leaving Earth’s orbit for
Venus and a six-year inter-planetary sojourn aboard the spaceship
Antares. Replacing the ill engineer, Ajay Sharma (Zahf Paroo) and
Mission Commander Rollie Crane (Ty Olsson), are experienced astronauts
Maddux Donner (Ron Livingston) and Ted Shaw (Malik Yoba). Donner’s
arrival disturbs the ship’s geologist Zoe Barnes (Canadian Laura
Harris), who is linked to him by a strange dream and a romantic
encounter from their early training days.
Although nearly every facet of life on the Antares is broadcast to
avid viewers on Earth by documentary producer Paula Morales (Paula
Garces), there is also a hidden force that appears to be controlling
events from within the spacecraft. With the real purpose of the
mission known only to flight director Mike Goss (Andrew Airlie) and a
select few, the Antares finally leaves Earth’s orbit for the immensity
of interstellar space.
In the second hour, some rocky and intriguing developments confront
the crew as they learn to adjust to life on board the Antares, now
well on its way to Venus. In spite of the libido-suppressing HALOS
supposedly worn by everyone on board, pilot Nadia Schilling
(Florentine Lahme) continues her seductive designs on Donner. Zoe
still hears strange cries, seemingly coming from Storage Pod 4 – which
is off limits to most of the crew. After Ted, now spaceship commander,
is briefed by his wife, scientist Eve Shaw (Karen LeBlanc), about the
true nature of the mission, he enters Pod 4 and is confronted by a
frightening maelstrom.
Meanwhile, back at Mission Control, Commander Goss holds a press
conference, ostensibly to explain the abrupt removal of Ajay and
Rollie from the Antares. Skeptical British reporter Trevor Williams
(Peter Howitt) is determined to discover the truth.
With state-of-the-art CGI effects by award-winning visual effects
company Stargate Studios (HEROES, GREY’S ANATOMY, UGLY BETTY), in
collaboration wit veteran set designer Stephen Geaghan (THE OUTER
LIMITS) and his team, DEFYING GRAVITY is a stunning visual production.
The series comes to life by anticipating scientific technologies of
the future; from the massive, spectacularly detailed spacecraft to
innovative visual effects, which depict the astronauts’ weightless
realities, and their descent onto planets so far untouched by man. The
series was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.
DEFYING GRAVITY is a co-venture produced by Fox Television Studios and
Vancouver’s Omni Film Productions Limited in association with CTV, the
lead broadcaster. Starring a diverse, international ensemble cast led
by Ron Livingston (Office Space) and Vancouver-native Laura Harris
(24), the hour-long, 13-episode series will also air on the BBC in the
U.K. and on ProSieben in Germany.
The series’ international ensemble cast is led by Ron Livingston
(Office Space, Band of Brothers) as Antares’ flight engineer Maddux
Donner; Canadian Laura Harris (24) as ship’s geologist Zoe Barnes;
Malik Yoba (NEW YORK UNDERCOVER) as Antares commander Ted Shaw;
Canadian Christina Cox (Blood Ties) as Canadian biologist Jen Crane;
Florentine Lahme (IMPACT) as pilot Nadia Schilling; Paula Garces (THE
SHIELD) as pilot, scientist and on-board documentary producer Paula
Morales; Eyal Podell (24) as psychiatrist and medical officer Evram
Mintz; and Canadian Dylan Taylor (HOUSE PARTY) as theoretical
physicist Steve Wassenfelder. The cast on planet Earth is led by
Canadian Andrew Airlie (REAPER) as Mission Control Commander Mike
Goss; Canadian Karen LeBlanc (REGENESIS) as scientist Eve Shaw;
Canadian Zahf Paroo (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) as grounded flight engineer
Ajay Sharma; Canadian Ty Olsson (MEN IN TREES) as grounded mission
commander – and Jen’s husband – Rollie Crane; and Canadian Maxim Roy
(MVP) as flight surgeon Claire Dereux. Episodic Director and Canadian
Peter Howitt also plays the role of British journalist Trevor
Williams.
DEFYING GRAVITY was created by award-winning, Emmy® Award-nominated
writer/producer James Parriott (executive producer on GREY’S ANATOMY
and UGLY BETTY).