The WB start development on 'Supernatural'

[Blade Runner]

The WB start development on 'Supernatural'
Reported at TGL by Chris Howell

From Zap2It:

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) The network that once brought you "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" is looking to get away from the mundane and back into the "Supernatural."

The WB is going into development on "Supernatural," from producer-director McG and writer-producer Eric Kripke. The series, which will come from McG and Stephanie Savage's Warner Bros. TV-based Wonderland Sound and Vision, has been given a put pilot commitment.

The series centers on two twentysomething brothers who cruise small town America fighting supernatural occurrences in a '64 Mustang. Naturally the project is described to The Hollywood Reporter as "'Route 66' meets 'The X Files.'" "We have been talking internally about wanting to do a show that truly scares and creeps you out, and [McG and Kripke] came in and pitched this show that not only serviced that need in our development, but also truly entertained us with the mythology and eeriness that they want to convey in the show," declares WB Entertainment President David Janollari. "The notion of doing a dramatic show that focuses on a unique brother dynamic and allows us to enter worlds that scare us and creep us out each week to me is a great recipe."

Kripke will write the pilot and will executive produce along with McG.

"Supernatural" will continue The WB's relationship with both men. Kripke wrote and produced "Tarzan" for The WB last fall, though that series had an extremely short life on the network. McG is behind "The Mountain," a WB drama set to premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

[mw2merc]

OK? So they talk about making this show, vagely at that, & decribe nothing of what's gonna be in the show? Talk about minimalist. F an A. Could they give any less details? Only way I'll flick that on TV is if there's a Werewolf involved.

[spudthedestroyer]

I thought buffy was a fox show?

[dinky]

FOX studios produced the show. WB bought it and has first nod at broadcast rights. lots of WB produced shows are on CBS, NBC, and ABC (as are other FOX shows). the only net + production house that really plays favorites seems to be FOX, and they obviously will sell to the competition of their own network.

edit: that's the story in the US. I guess FOX owns SKY over there, so they used their own net for that distribution area.

[mw2merc]

Buffy started here ON Fox, then later moved to the WB.

[dinky]

in cali? that's weird. it's always been produced at/by FOX studios, but all the studio did was join up with the producer and make the pitch to the WB network, who then gave the show the go ahead and paid FOX to make it; thus WB owned Broadcast rights. so then when WB decided not to renew at the rate the producers were asking, FOX (the studio again) shopped the show around and ended up taking less money but more creative control to air it on UPN (paramount's broadcast affiliate).

[mw2merc]

I think I was tired earlier.

Broadcast History:

The WB
1997 - 1998............. Monday 9:00 p.m.
1998 - 2001............. Tuesday 8:00 p.m.

UPN
2001 - 2003............. Tuesday 8:00 p.m.

Syndication:

FX
Monday - Friday..........7:00am - 8:00 a.m.
Monday - Friday..........2:00pm - 3:00 p.m.


It was the other way around pretty much. Started on WB, then moved to UPN.

[spudthedestroyer]

edit: that's the story in the US. I guess FOX owns SKY over there, so they used their own net for that distribution area.

Well technically, they are unrelated. Fox owns little assets over here.

Basically Rupert Murdoch owns BskyB who put out Sky tv, so effectively its all owned by one guy. However, there is independance from Fox although they share the same shows... for example, Fox have just launched their first channel here, called FX, which shows Xfiles... what have you.., that's the Fox channel here

Rupoch Murdoch also owns The Times and The Sun on the newspaper front... scarey actually

[dinky]

right...well...they're all under the newscorp banner. it's illegal to have two broadcast stations...although CBS kinda sucked up UPN, I think.

[spudthedestroyer]

Well Rupert Murdoch isn't allowed to buy any terrestrial channels here... he was blocked from buying Channel 5... he has shit loads of channels under his Sky banner (Sky one, sky one mix, loads of movie channels, loads of news/documentry stuff) and then just one station under Fox, FX. On top of that he has several newspapers, so he doesn't just dominate media control in the states

[maxpayne2409]

rupert murdochs the worlds biggest twat, yes thats right even before bill gates and richard branson

[dinky]

richard branson?

[maxpayne2409]

uve never heard of evil bearded meglomaniac millionaire richard branson? owner of everything virgin (except girls), virgin trains, mobile phones, radio, stores, planes, etc etc, its all him



look at that face and tell me thats not evil

[spudthedestroyer]

u might have seen him stood next to microsoft head boss on the news recently dink, since that commercial spacecraft partly funded by the M$ boss is Virgin's.

[dinky]

ah. that guy. hey, he may be a rich bastard, but he's also a rich womanizing bastard. ergo, I like'im.

[spudthedestroyer]

Well apparantly, he's supposed to know the first names of all his immediate employees in virgin (the ones who work in his head office) which I thought was quite impressive.

lol, he's not been too successful after Virgin records, he had a string of failed projects and did release Chris Evans into the world which is unspeakable

[maxpayne2409]

if they ever remade the munsters richard branson would have to be cast as herman munster