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The network that gave us Prison Break is heading back to prison. Fox has picked up Alcatraz, the J.J. Abrams produced drama about the San Francisco Bay island. The project, which was written on spec and recently taken out to the networks, has received a pilot commitment by Fox which is already in business with Abrams on sci-fi drama Fringe. 
Alcatraz is described as “a show about mysteries, secrets and the most infamous prison of all time: Alcatraz.” Lost executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff penned the final script, while Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt (Kyle XY) wrote earlier versions. All 3 are credited as writers on the pilot. Sarnoff will serve as showrunner and will executive produce with Abrams and Bryan Burk. Lilien and Wynbrandt will co-executive produce. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods is producing with Warner Bros TV. This is the third consecutive year a spec from Bad Robot has landed a major commitment after interest from multiple networks. The first two scripts, Fringe and Undercovers, went to series on Fox and NBC, respectively.
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It isn’t fair that Fox treats JJ Abrams better than Joss Whedon. It isn’t fair that JJ gets to do the show that he wants and Joss doesn’t.
I’m confused, Jack…since when was this business presumed to be fair? This is about money, and when it comes to that, I think JJ”s proven himself as the man. You sound like a whiny bitch. Get in the business.
@haha:
HAHA!
Who’s the bigger bitch – the whiny bitch, or the bitch who whines about it?
who cares both are overrated, Dollhouse was terrible
Has anyone else seen the pilot for Undercovers? I know this will sound like sour grapes…but whew…the pilot is astonishingly bad. Tired action sequences, leads that feel like soap actors, lame repertoire, and this ridiculously clean restaurant kitchen setting… Granted, I couldn’t make it to the end. 30 minutes in, we were just too bored to continue. I hope this new one is more like Lost and Fringe…
Actually, it is more than fair. When Whedon has directed a 200M+ grossing blockbuster that resurrected a franchise, then we’ll talk.
Make that 2 200M+ grossing blockbusters that resurrected franchises!
Bow down to the JJ, y’all!
Yeah, Whedon only did the impossible by getting Universal to let him turn a failed tv show (that ran less than a season) into a major motion picture, mostly due to the show’s cult status and rabid fanbase. How many other times has that happened? Well, I can only think of once. When the canceled Star Trek was made into a movie in 1980. So I think Whedon and Abrams are pretty comparable. That’s why they were on the panel together at Comic Con.
well here is another show that Jim Sharp can run out of Cali fornia to Texas hmmmm?
Doc,
WBTV is the supplier (not 20th). But they are planning to shoot it in Vancouver, so you are right. JJ’s show FRING shoots in Vancouver, so it makes some sense.
~Swifty
Or when Joss has a show that more than five people watch…
Yeah, I think having shows consistently listed in critics top ten lists of all time, and huge fanbases constitutes more than 5 people. Dislike Whedon if you want, but don’t make stuff up.
didn’t michael bay make this already?
Ha Ha I’m so excited to hear this. JJ is a great story teller.
Aka, wait until after The Avengers comes out.
Michael bay? Are you seriously trying to even compare him to JJ?! The rock was fun bug it was also a straight forward action pic. Alcatraz the series will probably have a lost bent to it. Sounds much cooler to me. Can’t wait to see it!
Does anyone else think this sounds like the coolest show ever? WTF is it gonnna be abt?!
No. No one else thinks it will be the coolest show ever. It’s going to suck and never deliver on whatever original mystery is set up in the pilot. Like all JJ’s shows, it’ll string you along and ultimately give you all the satisfaction of dry toast. Check out JJ’s TED talk if you doubt it.
This show sounds expensive and not exactly exciting or sexy if we’re going to be looking at grim jail cells and rapists and thugs behind bars every week. And does Fox really have the prime time real estate to devote to this show? Fall 2011 could have to give up 2+ hours a week to X Factor Usa.
Lilien & Wynbrandt are class acts. Great to see them making it.
They should really do a series based on the “Al Capone Does My Shirts” series of books. A kid living on Alcatraz when it was in its heyday… the series practically writes itself.
jj isnt that great. he has got as many hits as misses but thats more than you can say for whedon. And who cares if he whedon resurrected his failed tv show firefly if only five people went to see it. Maybe ten years ago they would have been equal but not now. Although dollhouse wasnt all whedons fault… He hired some extrodinarily bad writers to work on that show. Whoever wrote the finale should be shot.
I think this sounds like a good thing, especially if they go with the mystery angle. –One of my favorite books of all time, “The Star Rover” by Jack London is about a man who was accused of being a criminal. In the prison they put him in a straight jacket and give him drugs. He ends up time traveling in past and realizes that he has had past lives…(the movie “The Jacket” was based on this novel -although slightly different.) Anyways Alcatraz has said by some to be haunted. Claims of Al Capone roaming the halls, people finding ways to kill themselves, voices, ect. I could see them doing something very spooky but also very character driven with this.
This will be good if they include the Indian Occupation. Alcatraz is the symbolic beginning of the Red Power Movement, and Ceremonies are held there a few times a year, as well as being the staging point for a number of trans-continental Walks like The Longest Walk in 1978 and The Longest Walk 2 in 2008.