Torchwood: Miracle Day starts 8 July with Bill Pullman
- 09 April 2011
- John Howell
The next season of Torchwood (Season 4) has been renamed Torchwood: Miracle Day (changed from Torchwood: The New World) and will be broadcast Friday, 8 July in the US. This is a 10 part series, which sees Bill Pullman (most famous I guess for playing the US President in Independence Day) join the cast as the lead villain. Pullman plays Oswald Danes, a former school teacher and convicted child killer.
The 10 episode miniseries also sees the return of regular cast members Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eva Miles). Jack and Gwen are joined by a CIA operative Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer), Agent Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins), and Vera Juarez (Arlene Tur), a Washington D.C. surgeon.
Here's an updated plot description from the official BBC press release:
"The plot of Miracle Day is the most explosive Torchwood storyline yet. One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging -- they get hurt and sick -- but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It's said that in four months time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone's got to be behind it. It's a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking 'What is Torchwood?', he's drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever."
At the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour (via Collider), Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies revealed how the Torchwood format has changed over time and what to expect from the new series:
"What we got rid of in Torchwood is the format of monster-of-the-week that we had in the first two seasons. It was a great format. Lots of shows do that absolutely brilliantly. In Britain, it was always slightly in Doctor Who’s shadow, as a result. When we got the chance to do Children of Earth, it became what it is now, which is simply one continuous story with a beginning, middle and end. This new series is 10 episodes long, and there is a massive, shattering climax to the whole thing. You’ll find out who lives, who dies, what happens and whether they can stop it or not, and that’s the end. It’s got that shape to it now."
"Children of Earth found its legs, and it feels like we’ve stood up tall now. I can’t wait for you to see the show. It’s a really rigorous premise. There are some shocking episodes to come, in terms of some visuals and some things about people. It’s about what we are capable of, and the depth which we will sink sometimes. That feels really great, exciting and new."
As you may already know, Torchwood Season 4 is a joint production between the US cable channel STARz and the BBC, and follows directly on from Season 3, Torchwood: Children of the Earth. What we don't know is how this will impact the writing and quality of the show. With filming based in the US, and the addition of US actors in prime roles, will the qualities that have made this show such a success be diluted and distorted by an overt American influence? If you read the extended descriptions of the new US characters below, you can see why there may be reasons to be concerned about the future of Torchwood. I guess we'll find out if the changes are good, bad or terrible when Torchwood: Miracle Day is broadcast in July.
Here's more detail about the new characters again from the official BBC press release:
"REX MATHESON (Mekhi Phifer) He's the golden boy. The embodiment of the American dream and has been all his life. Harvard education, Rex is destined for success and could make a fortune in Wall Street or Hollywood, but he chose the C.I.A. because he believes in justice and will fight for it. He can talk his way into anything, then charm his way out, fast. This may be just what he needs as he joins forces with Jack and Gwen to fight a global mystery behind "Miracle Day" that has them racing from one crisis to another, dodging assassins, blackmail, corruption and conspiracy, from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai."
ESTHER DRUMMOND (Alexa Havins) Esther is an innocent, in a world of assassins, liars and zealots. She got where she is with the C.I.A through diligence and application. Hard work keeps Esther focused but she still dreams of active duty as a field agent serving her country. The dream is going to happen faster than she thinks and in no time at all, Esther finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex, living off the grid, gun in hand, fighting a global conspiracy against enemies ranging from big business to the state. It’s a tough, brutal, hard lifestyle where survival is hard won and life-changing choices have to be made.
OSWALD DANES (Bill Pullman) Well-educated and a former school teacher, Oswald’s a convicted child killer, both guilty and unrepentant. But when Oswald survives his own execution, he’s given a whole new life. The most infamous man in the world, he becomes the most provocative figure in modern media. He’s a flare, reviled yet mesmerizing, whose very existence embodies how the world changed on "Miracle Day".
DR. VERA JUAREZ (Arlene Tur) An attending surgeon in Washington D.C., she's smart, fast talking and hard working, Vera is on the frontline of medical care on "Miracle Day". As the world crisis grows, Vera's surgical and ER experience sees her recruited to advise on government think-tanks until she has to make a moral choice of enormous consequence. Sexy, confident and passionate, Vera's life is soon inextricably tangled up with Rex's."
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