Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome experienced the highs and lows of show business over the past few days. Unfortunately the high came before the low, and the spinoff’s once bright future is now murky at best.
Syfy originally planned Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome to become a web series back in early 2010, focusing on the earlier military days of William Adama during the first Cylon War. It would be the antithesis of Caprica, depicting the gritty reality of war rather than political, business and religious dealings in the 12 colonies that led to the creation of the Cylon robots.
During the planning stages, the Blood and Chrome concept was moved into a 90-minute pilot which Syfy shot early last year with Luke Pasqualino in the Adama role. Much of the pilot was shot with green screen, replacing the practical sets that were a signature of Ron Moore and David Eick’s Battlestar Galactica reboot series.
Because of the virtual sets and emphasis on action, Blood and Chrome is reported to have labored through post-production in 2011. The costs were high, and Syfy president Mark Stern was unsure of what to do with the series. It could prove too costly to produce an entire season no matter how fans reacted to the pilot.
This past weekend at WonderCon, Syfy showed a Blood and Chrome sizzle reel/trailer that blew people’s socks off. Then yesterday, the trailer leaked online and garnered almost unanimous praise. It has since been pulled, but the viral effect had already taken place and Blood and Chrome became a hot topic around the Internet.
Per Deadline, today Syfy decided to pass on moving Blood and Chrome to series, just as the Internet was buzzing loudest after the leaked trailer. Their current – though still in flux – intent is to turn it back into a web series.
If the show proved too expensive to produce for television, wouldn’t they have to dial back the effects for the web? Those effects are where most of the Blood and Chrome trailer praise is directed. Cheapen the look from the pilot could result in mutiny from the Battlestar Galactica passionate fans.
There is a small chance another network will swoop in and pick up the Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome rights from Universal Cable Productions. That likely wouldn’t be decided until after the 90-minute pilot airs on Syfy and ratings are counted, which it will at some point this year.
Source: Deadline
