SyFy Orders “Rewind” Pilot

The SyFy Channel has ordered a 2-hour pilot for a time-travel series called Rewind from writer Justin Marks (Street Fighter), Deadline reports.

The series follows “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.” Yes, it sounds remarkably similar to the series Seven Days.

The new series is from Universal Cable Prods and BermanBraun, who produce the network’s scripted drama 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.

SyFy primarily has been focused on developing reality shows with very few scripted shows in the works. Among them is the highly anticipated Battlestar Galactica spinoff Blood & Chrome, and a still as yet untitled space series from Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Andromeda).

Sony Releases Total Recall Synopsis

Sony has released the synopsis for director Len Wiseman’s (Underworld) remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger Sci-Fi action film Total Recall.  While the gene4ral plot sounds very similar, the events on Mars apparently have been completely removed from the remake. Both films are based on Philip K. Dick’s novelette We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, in which Mars plays a significant role in the memory implant plot device, but the characters do not actually travel there.

Total Recall is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

Total Recall is coming to theaters August 3, 2012.

Hansel and Gretel Moved to 2013

Paramount has pushed Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters back to January 11, 2013. The film starring Jeremy Renner (The Avengers) and Gemma Arterton (Wrath of the Titans) was originally slated for March 2, 2012.

While such moves are often indicators of problems with the movie in this case its a desire to capitalize on the anticipated growing star power of Jeremy Renner after the release of The Avengers.