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TERRA NOVA: David Fury Leaves Spielberg’s Prehistoric Drama, Stephen Lang Eyes Leading Role


Fox’s Terra Nova has lost producer David Fury (24, Lost). Fury was one of the prominent producers signed on to develop the prehistoric family drama with Steven Spielberg (Robopocalypse, Super 8), Brannon Braga (FlashForward, 24), Peter Chernin (Incognito, Rise of the Apes), Aaron Kaplan, Jon Cassar (Motorcade, 24), and Katherine Pope.

Fury supposedly left the project due to “creative differences” while working on the script with Brannon Braga. Braga still retains the showrunner position for Terra Nova. There will not be a replacement for Fury. A source close to the show says:

“[Fury] was beloved by the producers on the show, but it just didn’t work out.”

On the other hand, Stephen Lang (pictured above) who played the baddie in James Cameron’s Avatar, is eye-balling the lead opposite Jason O’Mara. Lang had been courted for the role earlier, but his scheduling with other feature projects (Conan) prevented him from pursuing the role until now. Lang may play Frank Taylor, “the charismatic and ruthless leader of the Terra Nova settlement.”

Terra Nova had already been pushed back from its expected midseason premiere to sometime in May 2011 for the pilot and show launch the following fall. The show even was pulled out of Comic-Con 2010 at the last minute.

The series will follow the Shannon family who travels back in time from a dying world in 2149 to prehistoric Earth to be a part of human colony called Terra Nova to rebuild civilization. Terra Nova is a production from 20th TV, Chernin Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment and Dream Works TV. Filming is expected to begin this October in Australia.

[Source] THR, Deadline


Lillian 'zenbitch' Standefer
Written by Lillian 'zenbitch' Standefer

is Senior Managing Editor for SciFi Mafia.com, skips along between the lines of sci-fi, fantasy, and reality, and is living proof that geek girls really DO exist!