Philiana Ng / The Hollywood Reporter
The 13-episode effort from the team behind “Alice” and “Neverland” heads into production this summer for a 2015 bow.
Syfy is looking to the gods for its next scripted effort.
The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has ordered to series the 13-episode mythology drama Olympus, set in the world of humans, gods and monsters, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
Production begins this summer in Vancouver and London, with casting underway. Olympus, from the team behind Syfy minis Tin Man, Alice andNeverland, will premiere in 2015.
Olympus centers on how a few brave men and women banished the gods to the realm of the unconscious: a place they called the Underworld, or the Kingdom of Hades. The series follows Hero on his journey as he transforms from a fresh-faced and raw young man through the dramatic experiences of betrayal, love, disappointment, empowerment and exile, until he emerges a ruthless leader of man and a match for the gods themselves.
Nick Willing (Tinman, Alice, Neverland) will write and direct the first episode. Robert Halmi Sr. (Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, The Odyssey, Gulliver’s Travels), Robert Halmi Jr., Jim Reeve, Matthew O’Connor and Lisa Richardson will serve as executive producers. Reunion Pictures and London’s Olympus TV are producing in association with Great Point Media.
“Olympus is a fantastic blend of action, intense thrills, creatures and great storytelling. It will feature characters from mythology in a way never before imagined,” said Chris Regina, senior vp programming at Syfy. “It’s an excellent complement to our roster of programming, and we can’t wait to share the adventures of Hero with the Syfy audience.”
Added Halmi Sr., “I’m thrilled that the team of Willing, O’Connor and Halmi are together on another exciting Syfy project. With the success of Tin Man, Neverland and Alice, we are confident that this will be another epic adventure of television.”
Syfy has made a concerted effort to get back into the sci-fi/fantasy space it once ruled with Battlestar Galactica, recently greenlighting a six-episode event series Ascension for November. On Friday, the cabler also added the 12 Monkeys adaptation to its growing scripted portfolio, which already includes upcoming drama Dominion, the recently renewed Helix, Continuum, Defiance, Haven and Lost Girl, as it wraps up runs for Being Human and Warehouse 13.