Sci Fi TV News Briefs: Quick hits keeping you updated on sci fi and fantasy television news.
On the Bubble: Netflix has now cancelled three of its Marvel Universe shows (Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist) and fans of The Punisher, which had its Season 2 debut January 18th, are on pins and needles waiting to hear word on that show’s fate. Since the partnership between Netflix and Disney / Marvel seems to be breaking down, it sure seems like The Punisher could follow the other three cancelled shows out the door (as could Jessica Jones which returns for its third season in Spring). Series star John Bernthal had this to say about the possibility of cancellation in an interview with Variety:
I know the reality of the situation and I’m at peace with it. I really only worry about the things I can control. When I’m playing the character and I’m doing the job and it’s right there in front of me, I do whatever I can to make it as good as I can. But in this business there’s so much we can’t control. Whatever is happening with these shows, these decisions are being made in rooms I’m not invited into and I’m OK with that.
Fans are currently working hard to save Daredevil, and I’m sure the fates of the other Netflix Marvel Universe will be tied to what happens with that show. You can find out more about the current campaign at this link.
There Can Be Only One . . . More: Director Chad Stahelski has been working on a reboot of the Highlander franchise which he was originally targeting for the big screen. But word is now that it could become a television series. Stahelski had the following to say in an interview with Collider:
We’re just trying to figure out the best way not to fuck it up. Not to try and fit it into a 1 hour, 45 minute movie, which, when your pitch is, ‘There can be only one,’ and in your first movie you kill everybody but the one, sequels have a problem of happening . . . We want to do this in such a way that it becomes more of a series whether it’s short form or long form that would let us explore that in the best way.
Whether the franchise will actually return to the small screen remains to be seen. The previous Highlander live-action television series ran for six season in the 90’s and had a spin-off–Highlander: The Raven–which ran for one season.
Scheduling News: Amazon has announced that the third season of The Expanse will be available for streaming on Prime Video on February 8th. The upcoming fourth season will debut later this year, likely around Summer, now that the show has joined Amazon’s lineup of originals.
Mid-Season is now upon us with over forty new and returning sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the full schedule at this link. Be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site throughout the season for the latest ratings results and status updates for your favorite shows.
