The Goddard Film Group, a division of Goddard Group, a world leader in the design and creation of themed-entertainment attractions around the globe, is currently developing a reimagined version of the iconic, 1980’s TV series “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.” The new project is entitled “Phoenix Rising.” For a sneak peek at the teaser trailer for “Phoenix Rising,” please see below or visit: www.phoenixrising.tv. The new series will be actively promoted during Comic-Con 2016 (July 21-24) in San Diego.
Joining Goddard Film Group on the project is Thomas Vitale, who will executive produce the new series along with his producing partner Craig Engler, through their newly-formed Planet X Productions. Vitale previously worked at NBCU’s Syfy and Chiller networks for 22 years. As an EVP at Syfy and Chiller, Vitale ran the networks’ programming departments, and was also responsible for over 300 original movies, as well as numerous original series and documentary specials. Engler worked at Syfy for 13 years as the SVP & GM of Digital Content, and, as a member of Syfy’s senior leadership team, he also helped create and execute the long-term vision for the network and its programming. He left Syfy to create, write and produce Syfy’s hit series, “Z Nation.”
“Phoenix Rising” brings original “Captain Power” series creator Gary Goddard back to television, serving as executive producer. Joining Goddard on this project are Goddard Film Group partners Roger Lay, Jr, and Eric Carnagey, also serving as executive producers. Goddard Film Group owns and controls all rights to the classic intellectual property. The company is in discussions with cable and streaming outlets as it seeks to find the best home for this legendary property. Original series star Tim Dunigan, who originated the role of “Captain Jonathan Power,” will also appear in the reboot in a key – but different role.
The pilot episode of “Phoenix Rising” was scripted by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, New York Times Best-Selling authors and writers/producers with extensive credits in genre programming, including “Primeval: New World,” “Star Trek: Enterprise” and “The Lost World.”
Two-time Emmy® Award winning Special Effects Artist Todd Masters, Founder of MASTERSFX, will lead his team of FX artists based in Vancouver, in the creation of the practical and CGI Powersuits and characters that will be featured within this new series. Creators of the cadavers for “Six Feet Under,” vampires from “True Blood,” Borg FX for “Star Trek,” and the baby makers from “Look Who’s Talking,” MASTERSFX has been contributing its blend of custom practical and digital FX to a wide range of TV and feature film projects for nearly 30 years. Included among the other TV projects to which MASTERSFX has contributed its work are “The Zoo,” “The 100,” “The Expanse,” “Prison Break,” “iZombie,” “Tales from the Crypt,” “Fringe,” and many others. Among the company's film credits are “RoboCop,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “The Haunting in Connecticut,” “Star Trek: First Contact,” “The Horse Whisperer,” “Slither,” “Snakes on a Plane,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and dozens more.
Regarding the rebooted series, Gary Goddard said, “Back in 1987, our presentation of ‘Captain Power’ was considered a landmark program – a sci-fi series that was ahead of its time. Today, in a world of drone aircraft, battlefield robots, and Cloud-based artificial intelligence, our original series was predictive fiction, because, some would say, those confrontations are no longer speculative today, but inevitable – they have already become part of the global fabric and the imagination of the world’s population.”
"As fans of both science fiction and the ‘Captain Power’ series, we're excited to help re-imagine this iconic TV show for today's viewers,” added Planet X’s Vitale and Engler. “Although the surprisingly dark themes, serialized storytelling and shocking character deaths featured within the series were well ahead of their time in 1987, they're exactly the kind of story elements a modern viewing audience craves.”
Lay, Jr., and Carnagey said, “As appealing and relevant as the original setting, storylines, and themes behind ‘Captain Power’ continue to be, ‘Phoenix Rising,’ our next evolution of the franchise, will still have at its core the same essential elements that made the original series such an addictive success the first time out: Compelling and relatable characters whose struggles, hopes, and sacrifices will draw us back again and again to find out what happens next.”
For a sneak peek at the teaser trailer for “Phoenix Rising,” please see: www.phoenixrising.tv
About PHOENIX RISING
Fifteen years after humanity has lost a devastating war against an Artificial Intelligence called Overmind, Jonathan Power — the son of the man who caused that war, learns the truth about his father, and discovers a new type of battle armor that will enable a small, mismatched team of soldiers and civilians to fight back against the Bionic armies of the New Order.
The Phoenix Technology underlying the virtually impregnable new suits augment their wearers’ speed and strength, allowing humans to fight Bionic soldiers on equal terms. But at what cost? The New Order’s goal is to create the next stage in human evolution: Transhumans, a blending of biology and technology that becomes something greater than its parts. But isn’t that what the suits are? Have Jonathan and his team become the very thing they’ve sworn to fight?
As Jonathan Power embarks on his hero’s journey to learn the whole truth about his father, himself, and his world, not all of his battles will be fought in the land, sea, and air. Power will come to learn that the hardest battles of all will be fought within the hearts and minds of his own soldiers and himself.
About CAPTAIN POWER AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE FUTURE
Starting in Fall 1987, a revolutionary new television series, “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future,” aired in national U.S. television syndication, running 22 episodes. The show marked two television “firsts.” It was the first series ever to integrate Computer Generated (CGI) characters with live-action performers, and it was also the first interactive program on weekly television to be produced in conjunction with a popular line of electronic toys. The toys, from Mattel, interacted with the visuals featured within each episode.
In 1987, the opening narration of each episode began: “Earth: 2147. The legacy of the Metal Wars, when man fought machine, and machine won.” The premise of the series presented a spectacular global confrontation between humans and machines – at the time, stuff of pure speculation, science fiction and futuristic imagination. Now, nearly thirty years after the series first aired, the concepts and ideas at the core of the show’s storylines have become the stuff of modern day headlines.
Airing in more than 200 domestic North American TV markets and 46 international territories, the groundbreaking original “Captain Power” series remains one of the most innovative and influential programs in the history of televised science fiction. Please see: www.captainpower.com
And Check out these Social Sites: https://www.facebook.com/CaptainPower/ and https://twitter.com/TVPhoenixRising
