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Terra Nova to film in Australia

Steven Spielberg's next television project, Terra Nova, will film in Australia at the end of the year at $4m per episode.

Steven Spielberg’s next television project, Terra Nova, will film in Australia at the end of the year.

The 13 part series will focus on an ordinary family from 2149 when the planet is dying, who are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a civilisation.

Each episode will cost a massive US$4 million. Because of the huge costs involved, the first 13 episodes will be filmed together to avoid extra start up and shut down expenses.

Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars US) is currently in negotiations about playing Jim Shannon, a father with a shady past who helps his family adapt to their new lifestyle.

O’Mara would be the first actor to become a cast member.

The series will air on FOX in 2011 with Fringe‘s Alex Graves to direct.

Spielberg filmed The Pacific in Australia.

Source: Deadline Hollywood, SFF Media

19 Responses

  1. It is filmed on the Gold Coast but not allowed to tell excact Location, How do I know this, I am in it as an Extra. Great fun to. I get to wear these Robot things on my legs, They are called (Easy Lift ).
    Ment to help you lift real heavy items ect. Think it starts in May 2011. Cheers.

  2. Does anyone know which part of Australia this is being filmed? I guess either Melbourne, Sydney or Gold Coast, but would be interested to know.

  3. $4mil isn’t alot to produce an episode..

    A standard sitcom costs about $1.5-2m per episode to produce
    A standard drama costs about $3-3.5m per episode to produce
    Highly successful sitcoms like Raymond, Frasier, Friends, Seinfeld, Men, cost about $5-6m to produce, (mainly because of the pay packets), and in Friends’ case, it cost $10m per episode in the final season.
    Dramas with lots of extras, props and special effects and such, ie not a soap opera, cost around $8-9m, ER cost $13m to produce an episode, way back when it was king of ratings worldwide.

    So $4m per episode isn’t that expensive, considering it cost about $150? $170mil to produce The Pacific, spread out over 10 parts, that’s $15-17m per episode.

  4. @ Craig — screenrant.com has a pretty detailed plot synopsis of Terra Nova in its TV News section. From the people involved in the production, plus the plot synopsis, it sounds as though this series is aimed at teenagers and adults alike. I’m looking forward to it!

  5. Wow.. looking forward to this. Has me more interested than I was in The Pacific.

    Also good to hear of Jason O’Mara possibly being involved. Really liked him in Life on Mars!

  6. I just hope if TEN get the rights that they have their general entertainment channel up an running by the time it airs in the US and we can have it fast tracked.

    Do we know what rating the show will get, will it be aimed at kids or more adult with PG or M?

  7. This sounds like it’d be such a hard show to get right.

    Spielberg should make a Jurassic park series. Done like a premium cable show. 12 episode seasons and well planned story arcs.

    Have the first season or two as a prequel ending with the events off the first film. Which can then happen off screen. Show another side of what else was going on with everyone evacuating for the storm, what happened on site b during that. Then continue on with the aftermath. Don’t worry about the other sequels all set before them.
    Could be epic!

  8. Ten may get the rights but it does not mean they will ever show it. Or if they do at 10.30pm once every couple of weeks when they need a filler.
    It might be a time travel show but Ten will still see this as SciFi and we all know what Ten thinks of SciFi.

  9. Should look brilliant but will it be any good?

    Also one minor problem go back 85 million years only leaves 20 mil before the Earth was hit wiping out the dinos… why not go back say 10 million years or could that create a paradox where humans may not have come in to being, don’t you love time travel shows LOL

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