Syfy greenlights time travel drama Rewind

Syfy Channel has ordered a 2-hour pilot for a potential new series from Street Fighter writer Justin Marks.

Syfy Channel has ordered a 2-hour pilot for Rewind, a new time-travel based TV series from writer Justin Marks (Street Fighter), Deadline reports.

The series would follow “a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who must use untested technology to travel back in time to alter past events in order to change the future and avoid a devastating terrorist attack,” according to the site.

The show is from Universal Cable Prods and BermanBraun, who produce the network’s newest scripted success Alphas. Marks wrote the pilot and will executive produce with Tom Spezialy (Chaos), Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein.

“Justin Marks has created a time-travel series with an exciting innovative approach that really exemplifies Syfy’s commitment to bring compelling storytelling to life,” said Mark Stern, Syfy’s president of original content.

A time travel series has lots of room for potential, but Rewind will need to distinguish itself from similar fare of the past, including Quantum Leap and especially Seven Days, which had a premise very similar to the one described above.

Syfy has been focusing more heavily on the development of new reality-based series than ever before, with a small handful of scripted dramas currently in the pipe. Once pitched as a half-hour comedy, Three Inches was retooled as an action-adventure hour starring James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). It has apparently not been picked up to series, with the 2-hour pilot burned off in a single broadcast on Syfy between Christmas and New Year’s last month.

The Battlestar Galactica spin-off Blood & Chrome reportedly finished the heavy post-production on its pilot in November, and Syfy is expected to make a decision on its future in the coming weeks.

Three other scripted one-hour dramas are one step behind Rewind — in development but not yet with a pilot order (story). They include supernatural-themed Seeing Things and Ghost Projekt, and an untitled, space-based show from Andromeda showrunner Robert Hewitt Wolfe.

Keep up with the latest developments in science fiction and fantasy television over on our sister site, SciFiStream.com!

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AsFarAsLarry
AsFarAsLarry
12 years ago

Interesting, have to keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for all your hard work. Still reading the site. Love the updates on all the old SG folks and what other projects they are involved with.

ace_love
ace_love
12 years ago

I think if Syfy want to get back in the game then they need something like a Sci-fi/Space version of American Horror Story/True Blood.

With the recent bouts of 2 season shows, it kinda proves people want something a bit gritty.

I know these don’t exactly screen Sci-fi as such, but Game of Thrones & Downton Abbey have set a huge bar, they bring in audiences of old and new. This is the direction that needs to be pushed.

If an American Horror Story/Game of Thrones version of lets say Stargate or Star Trek came out, then maybe that’ll work.

tomaso88
tomaso88
12 years ago

Sounds like a total strap off of Seven 7 days

tomaso88
tomaso88
12 years ago

oh they mention that haha i really need to start fully reading things before i talk

asecooper222
asecooper222
12 years ago

Uh, I don’t know which is the typo, but James MARSTERS was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. James MARSDEN was Cyclops in X-men :P

Jackoneill
Jackoneill
12 years ago

I agree with tomaso88.
This show sounds like a total Seven Days clone.

Nemes
Nemes
12 years ago

They had me right up until “avoid a devastating terrorist attack”. Now I’m turned off entirely.

Kyle Nin
Kyle Nin
12 years ago

“Seven Days”, or “Odyssey 5” (without the alien conspiracy, of course).

Greenfire32
Greenfire32
12 years ago

Too bad I don’t watch Syfail anymore.

DanMan
DanMan
12 years ago

Blood and Chrome will either be a superlative action show that could appeal to a wider audience than BSC or Caprica, or it will be naff green screen city like Sanctuary.

Browncoat1984
Browncoat1984
12 years ago

Marsters was also in Smallville.

I’m not interested in any new SyFy shows unless that show has Stargate in front of it. This is ESPECIALLY after the treatment they gave Eureka fans. They told me, as a Eureka fan, that they don’t care about their fans.

Duneknight
Duneknight
12 years ago

I cant stand this unambitious crap.

grif
grif
12 years ago

source code COUGH source code

Sam and Jack Shipper
Sam and Jack Shipper
12 years ago

And still no word on Sanctuary.

bluewater1
bluewater1
12 years ago

Sounds a bit unimaginative, to say the least. Bring on Blood and Chrome.

The Admiral
The Admiral
12 years ago

“a team of military field operatives and civilian scientists who must use untested technology to travel back in time to alter past events in order to change the future and avoid a devastating terrorist attack,” This TV show has been done before, its called Seven Days. It was a show that followed a group of military officers and civilian scientists, who must use highly experimental and temperamental technology to go back in time and alter past events to prevent a multitude of disasters, most notably terrorist attacks. Sound familiar? Darren, I know that with Stargate’s demise its getting increasingly difficult… Read more »

stargatefan1958
stargatefan1958
12 years ago

i personally dont watch syfy anymore, it isnt syfy it is reality crap. i wish they would put stargate back on

Jim
Jim
12 years ago

I was thinking the exact same thing as “They had me untill avoid devastating terrorist attack”.
Shows like Game of Thrones are just fine where they are and the way they are.What SyFy needs is science fiction,at least one space-based.
Only if they bring on Blood and Chrome,I’m ready to give that failing channel another chance.

GateGeek
GateGeek
12 years ago

I don’t actively boycott SyFy. Their programming just sucks so I don’t watch it.
Blood & Chrome I’ll watch. Other than that… meh.

katikatnik
katikatnik
12 years ago

Personally, I’m more interested in Defiance: http://www.spoilertv.com/2012/01/syfy-casts-gran-bowler-in-new-sci-fi.html “Set on a future Earth, Defiance introduces players and viewers to a world where humans and aliens live together on a planet ravaged by decades of war and transformed by alien terra-forming machines. It centers on Jeb Nolan (Bowler), the law-keeper in a bustling frontier boomtown that is one of the new world’s few oasis of civility and inclusion. Nolan is a former Marine who fought in the alien conflict and suffered the loss of his wife and child in the war. The trauma transformed him into a lone wanderer in the wilds… Read more »

Jim
Jim
12 years ago

Wow,that actually sounds really awesome!Firefly is a great example of blending Western and sci-fi,without aliens though,so that addition could be interesting,while the entire thing not only sems promising(if done right),but is also something I would very much like to see
Thanx for the info.

Crayg
Crayg
12 years ago

Seven Days could do with a retry. It had a great premise, but lousy characters and plots.

Jackoneill
Jackoneill
12 years ago

Sounds good, but it does sound a little bit like seven days.

knowles2
knowles2
12 years ago

Sound like Source Code, which is already being reworked as a TV series, an potentially has more interesting stories which could be told. Plus CSI with a scifi twist sounds interesting. Alone with other elements which I will not go into here as it would mean spoiling the film for people who have yet to see it.

I will watch the pilot but as people point out it does sound like seven days and Quantum Leap. But there still a lot you can do with the time travel concept.

knowles2
knowles2
12 years ago

Defiance has been around for years, it suppose to be a much bigger project than just a new TV show, at least original it was design with games, interactive web experience and other media elements.
It will be interesting to see what actually get produce and release to the public.

Kanten
Kanten
12 years ago

A. Street Fighter was horrible.

B. “Commitment to bring compelling storytelling to life” doesn’t exactly correlate with canceling SGU, Caprica and Eureka.