Fox has pushed the prehistoric drama Terra Nova back to the fall of 2011 from its previous spot to air midseason between the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Steven Spielberg-produced drama is about a group of humans transported from a dying world in 2149 to prehistoric Earth to be a part of human colony called Terra Nova to rebuild civilization.

The network will air a preview of the show in May of 2011 and follow with a fall premiere. Jason O’Mara (Life On Mars) will star in Terra Nova. Fox Entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, explains Fox’s move to delay the premiere of the show:

“Terra Nova will be one of the most visually stimulating and dramatically grand series to air on network television. It deserves to have an equally unique launch to distinguish that the show is unlike any other, and the spring promotional platform will give us the perfect opportunity to introduce this bold show to audiences.”

Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park), Peter Chernin (Rise of the Apes), Brannon Braga (FlashForward), and David Fury (Angel) are producing the show. Braga and Fury are Terra Nova‘s showrunners and Alex Graves (Fringe, Journeyman) will direct the series pilot.

One reasonable cause for the delay could be due to Fox rejecting early designs for Terra Nova because of its similarities in landscapes to James Cameron’s Avatar.

[Source] THR