UPDATE, March 2nd: Sources at Universal’s Home Entertainment Division now tell me that the DVD is on track for a March 18th release. I have also confirmed that it was indeed Syfy UK who were in talks to acquire the movie fromNBCUniversal International Television Distribution. That deal has now been closed and Red Faction: Origins is set to premiere on Syfy UK on Tuesday April 16th at 11pm.
EXCLUSIVE, November 20th: Syfy’s two hour Red Faction TV Movie/backdoor pilot Red Faction: Origins is finally heading to UK shores. My sources are telling me that NBCUniversal International Television Distribution is finalising a deal with a UK broadcaster for the two hour film, with NBCUniversal’s UK based home entertainment division – Universal Playback – prepping a DVD release for early 2013. At present it is unclear which broadcaster is finalising a deal with NBCUniversal to air the film, though from everything I’m hearing the likelihood is that the film will wind up landing at Syfy UK, though one of my sources indicated that BSkyB’s Sky1 was another possibility.
Based on THQ’s Red Faction game series, Red Faction: Origins was the first transmedia project between Syfy and a games studio – something the network is following in the footsteps of with their upcoming series Defiance, which is being developed alongside an MMO games from Trion. The two hour movie, penned by Andrew Kreisberg, aired on Syfy in June 2011 and was set 25 years after Alec Mason led the Martian Colonies to freedom and 12 years since vengeful enemies killed his wife, kidnapped his daughter Lyra, and left a broken hero in their wake. Jake Mason, Alec’s last surviving son and an officer in the Red Faction Militia, has his world turned inside out when he discovers that now, 12 years after her kidnapping, his sister is still alive. As a powerful new enemy swarms across the planet, Jake goes out to find her, only to learn that his lost sister is one of them…a cold-blooded soldier sworn to destroy the Red Faction. Jake must now battle the relentless regime and somehow reunite a family torn apart by war. Red Faction: Origins was produced by Universal Cable Productions and THQ and starred Robert Patrick (Last Resort), Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe), Tamzin Marchant (The Tudors) and Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica). Although conceived of as a backdoor pilot for a potential Red Faction series, with Syfy stating that the project was still in development earlier this year, the network ultimately allowed the options on the main cast to expire; effectively passing on any potential series pick up.
NBCUniversal’s UK home entertainment division, Universal Playback, is also in the early stages of prepping a DVD release for Red Faction: Origins. My sources tell me that DVD will hit stores in early 2013 “shortly after it [Red Faction: Origins] airs on TV.” I hear that Universal will be using the same box art for the release as was used for the region 1 (US & Canada) release in 2011. As for special features on DVD, I’m told they will include a commentary track from director Michael Nankin, director of scripted series for Universal Tom Lieber and cast members Brian J. Smith, Devon Graye & Danielle Nicolet; a photo gallery; and a featurette titled Warring Factions: The Making of Red Faction: Origins.
TVWise will bring you more on this story when we have it…
