new series pilot
a news series is being planned at ABC: Frank Spotnitz, a creative mind behind the X-Files is working on a fresh take for newspaperman Karl Kolchak.
sharea news series is being planned at ABC: Frank Spotnitz, a creative mind behind the X-Files is working on a fresh take for newspaperman Karl Kolchak.
shareYou know, this guy is one major reason The X-Files stopped being a good show, and turned into a worthless pile of crap by the end.
You know he's talked about how the original series (including the two mega-hit TV movies I guess) was a miserable failure, and how he's going to avoid the mistakes the original creators made.
And Item #1 on his agenda was obviously casting a skinny foppish pretty boy with a failed film career to play Kolchak.
//Townsend Stalks Night
Stuart Townsend (Queen of the Damned) will star as ABC's new Kolchak in the drama pilot Night Stalker, an update of the 1970s supernatural TV series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gabrielle Union will also star in Night Stalker, from Touchstone TV and writer-producer Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), the trade paper reported.
Union will play Kolchak's colleague at the paper who partners with him in his pursuit of supernatural phenomena. //
Right, because Chris Carter used to talk about how smart he was to give Mulder an attractive female partner, and that's why The X-Files was so successful, when in fact lots of others shows had tried this "innovation" and failed.
This is a pilot order, not a series order. ABC will commission a lot of pilots to look at, and only a few will make the cut.
And if they're smart, this won't be one of the lucky ones.
Stuart Townsend as Kolchak. Oh BROTHER.
In my opinion James Marsters (Spike from "Buffy" and "Angel") should play Kolchak...
I like James Marsters too, and he'd be much better than Stuart Townsend (and so would someone picked off the street at random), but he's wrong for the part. Kolchak is an ordinary Joe, not some fashion plate. Anyway, it's pointless arguing about it--Kolchak will be played by Stuart Townsend in this pilot. The pilot will probably never be seen, unless maybe the SciFi Channel buys it to air as a TV movie, after "Frankenfish" or "Mansquito".
I knew this think would suck, I knew Spotnitz would blow the casting, but I never thought he'd blow it THIS bad.
Why not? You know he'd be perfect!
shareBest suggestion I've heard so far.
Frankly, I don't think anybody could ever equal Darren McGavin's performance, and I don't see why anybody should have to try. It's not a good series concept for this day and age. Name the last successful TV series about a reporter of ANY kind, paranormal or otherwise?
It's going to be Stuart Townsend, and it's going to suck, and we're probably never going to see it anyway.
I don't know if they even thought of Bruce Campbell, but who says he was available? Okay, he was probably available. Spotnitz just really really SUCKS at casting. And everything else. Except convincing people to give him one more chance to embarass himself.
;-)
Bruce Campbell would be good.
I just hope that they'll redo the Janos Skorczeny storyline.
If I were Spotnitz, I'd stay the hell away from that, because there's no improving on perfection--he'd only expose his own lack of storytelling ability. Most people never saw the Kolchak TV series, but a HUGE number of people have seen the original Night Stalker movie--rewriting Richard Matheson is an intimidating task for genuinely talented writers, and Spotnitz is anything BUT talented.
I'm not hearing anything at all about this pilot since the casting of Townsend was announced--I wonder if it's already a dead duck? ABC has about 30 pilots to choose from, other than this one--and very few primetime slots to fill.
Even Mark Dawidziak, who wrote the book (literally) on The Night Stalker, has failed to mention this pilot in his column--you'd think he'd be talking it up. But he's obviously not optimistic about its chances--of making it to the airwaves, OR of being any good.
;-)
Bruce Campbell would be very good as Kolchak. Who'd make a good Skorzeny, though? Casting the right villain here would be critical. As good as Kolchak was, good villains drove the two TV movies (Barry Atwater and Richard Anderson, best known for playing Oscar Goldman on the Six Million Dollar Man) and the better episodes of the TV series. The weaker episodes were the ones that had Kolchak up against a weak or poorly defined villain.
shareActually, when I first heard about this he was the first name that popped into my mind. He looks nothing like McGavin, but he'd do the character wonderfully I'm sure. I've also heard someone mention the dad from Malcom in the Middle, which I can see. Man, this could have actually been good.
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Chris Carter always used to pretend that the reason The X-Files series was a success (though never half as popular as the original Night Stalker movies), when the Kolchak SERIES was not was that Kolchak needed an attractive skeptical female partner--that was his "innovation". Only it was nothing of the kind, it's been used many times before The X-Files with stories like this, and the reason The X-Files caught on (eventually) was that FOX could tolerate low ratings for a while, Carter was essentially handed an incredible production/writing staff and two perfectly-cast leads (that he did not cast), and the timing was right.
Carter also used to pretend he couldn't remember any of the story ideas from The Night Stalker, even though he said it was his favorite show as a kid, and even though they kept turning up on his show. Sheahright.
So basically, the line from Mr. Spotnitz' boss was "I loved this show, and I figured out how to FIX it."
So Spotnitz is just echoing that.
Spotnitz is basically making Kolchak a prettified idealized version of himself (Spotnitz was an entertainment reporter before he got hired to produce on The X-Files, with no previous experience of any kind), and he's fixing his idealized prettified self up with his dreamgal, namely Gabrielle Union.
That's all this is about.
It won't work, the pilot will never be aired, and we can go back to dream casting.
;)
You know, when I heard that they were going to try and remake this series I said they would use s you pretty-boy and add a chick. TV these days is way to predictable. They have this formula where they feel that every show needs a prett-boy and a hot chick.
Kolchak was a pretty washed out reporter at the end of his career. That was pretty central to his character. If you're going to start messing with the central character then why even bother? Just do what Carter did a create something new with a similar premis.
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The only actor who could equal Darren McGavin is Paul Giamatti.
sharePaul Giamatti has better things to do than read Frank Spotnitz' awful dialogue.
But you're on the right track.
Maybe someday they'll do it up right.
Maybe Giamatti will be available by then.
He needs a bit more seasoning, I think. Kolchak shouldn't be too young.
I'm sure he could have done the role well anyway, but just based on looks alone, I also would have liked to see Bryan Cranston of Malcom in the Middle in the role.
shareRandy Quaid :)
shareWall Street Journal announced today that the Night Stalker will be part of its new fall line up.
"A remake of the short-lived 1970s occult series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" is also among the three new dramas and two comedies ABC said Tuesday it will introduce in the fall."
My step father is the head detective in the pilot, and he said Stuart Townsend was very fitting for the role, and we won't be dissapointed. Also, apparently this was the most expensive pilot ever created.
shareYes!! Thank you, passequalsfail!! Finally, someone with something NICE to say. Did I read someone call Mr. Townsend a 'snot-nosed punk?' Since when is a 33ish-year old man a 'snot-nosed punk?' Pretty boy? The man was a BOXER before he became an actor. And I don't know where everybody's coming from, calling him a bad actor. I think he's a hell of a lot better than the REAL pretty boys, the crappy American kids who think they're so wonderful because they're on TV.
I know I'm harping on him, but really, where does everybody get off insulting someone and questioning his career talents because they didn't picture him for ONE part in ONE show?? Honestly, if the series flops, it flops, and it has nothing to do with one actor. He's not the plague, you know.
I'd say more, but I'm already bordering on the thin line between Acceptable and Outrageously Rude...which, sadly, only a FEW of us are reluctant to cross.
I also agree that Townsend is a highly underrated actor, and even though Queen of The Damned(the movie he's probably most remembered for)sucked, I still thought he played a decent Lestat.
They've also started airing ads for the new show, I saw one tonight.
Yay, another nice person! Incidentally, Queen Of The Damned use to be my favorite movie...it got me interested in reading Anne Rice's wonderful novels. Of course, I realized just how awful the movie was after I read the book. They completely botched the end...and one of the most important characters, Mekare, Maharet's twin sister, was NONEXISTENT in the film. What the hell was that for? The only saving-graces of that movie now are Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah's performances.
Well, to get back on topic, yes, I saw one of those ads too. In fact, that's why I got online and decided to look it up. I thought the show looked really cool. I didn't even know about the original Night Stalker phenomenon until I found this little synopsis on IMDb. Which makes me feel like a dweeb...I'm basically jumping into a conversation about something I know virtually nothing about. Even so, the vicious insults have to stop, guys. I know you're disappointed, but who knows? Mr. Townsend could surprise you.
And the love interest...I must agree they are quite stale and...revolting actually. I hate love interests, especially when (as I've gathered from everyone else's posts) they're not SUPPOSED to be there. Unfortunately, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings and Sex sell with the majority, so the big producers are going to insist on adding a little woman to the story for ratings. The rest of the American population will be pleased, and I will be retching, but other than that the show looks good. And I'm sure she's a fine actress, and will make a lovely and talented addition to the cast...too bad about the "Love" thing.
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ditto, i know diddley about the original night stalker, but have just watched the pilot and it was brill, gonna have to look into the originals and watch the rest of the new series of course, even the missus liked it.
just one thing, were the wrist markings in the original series?
and anyone know what they mean?
No. The wrist markings weren't in the original.
shareit sucked...
shareI just watched this show today. They're having reruns on the Sci-Fi channel. I saw immediately the typical modern influence: the black wench. It seems nowadays you can't make any show without sticking some woman in it. I would have preferred to see another show similar to the original Kolchak, in which he investigated matters on his own (he often said he liked to work alone).
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