Kings is Officially Cancelled

I've been meaning to post this up for a while. NBC's modernised version of the David story, Kings, has officially been cancelled. It's hardly surprising for anyone that has been following the show; halfway through it's initial broadcast the rest of the series got delayed until the summer. So on what was the news section of the show's official website there's a note from Kings creator, Michael Green. The jist of what Green says seems to be that NBC were great, but that if they'd promoted the show a little more then perhaps it might have been a hit.

Incidentally, the show is released on DVD on Tuesday.

Thanks to Brendan O'Regan for the tip off. Brendan's own write ups of the show have reached episode 9.

Plugged In Online on Kings

Brendan O'Regan sent me a link to Plugged In Online's review of the pilot for Kings.

Brendan himself has now posted his own thoughts on episodes 2-4.

More on Kings from FaithArts

Last week I mentioned that FaithArts had posted some thoughts on Kings. Brendan's continuing to work through the series and has published some thoughts on episode 2. He's also grouping together all his posts on Kings here.

FaithArts on Kings

Modernised King David drama Kings returned to screens in the US recentley, and has also started airing in Ireland. Brendan O'Regan of irish site FaithArts has shared a few of his thoughts. His posts aren't given individual URLs so you may have to scroll down to find them.

There was a bit of a paucity of comment on this programme from those versed in biblical studies so it's good to read Brendan's comments, and I believe that there will be more to follow. Looking forward to it.

Sadly, I've not managed to find any indication that Kings is to broadcast in the UK soon.

Kings to Come to DVD

The fate of NBC's Kings goes from bad to worse. Having been bumped from Sunday night to Saturday and then back to June, producer/writer Bradford Winters has announced the inevitable - that the show has been officially cancelled.

Meanwhile however, Amazon has created a page for the forthcoming DVD. Aside from the ASIN number, and the fact that it will be released by Universal Studios there's very little to go on (suggesting it will be a while until it's released), but it's worth bookmarking for those who might be interested in buying it when it finally does find it's way to stores.

Kings Moved to Summer

After disappointing reviews, and bad viewing figures. NBC's Kings has been taken off air until the summer (Hollywood Reporter). The first sign that the sci-fi series was under pressure was when it got switched from Sunday night to Saturday. Now it's been taken off air altogether to make way for Law and Order re-runs, with the intention of it resurfacing on June 13th and running until 25th July.

The concept was always going to be a difficult sell, particularly for a whole series rather than simply as a one off. And the strain of trying to make credible, audience-pleasing drama whilst simultaneously trying to allegorise obvious took it's toll. Either that or they really should have sent me a screener.

For me, the sad thing about all of this is that now I may never get to see it. If it's been pulled quite so quickly, then there's a good chance it'll never get released on DVD. Thanks to BethR for breaking the bad news.

First Reviews for NBC's Kings

Unfortunately, my screener for Kings has not arrived, so it will be a while before I'm able to offer my own review of tonight's NBC premiers. There are plenty of others around, however, for those wanting to read about it before or after tonight's showing. Kyle Smith at the New York Post is similarly impressed. His four out of five stars review calls McShane's performance "titanic" and notes how the "show sparkles with imagination, but he ends with the eternal dilemma for biblical adaptations:"Kings may be too campy for some, not campy enough for others". Entertainment Weekly gives it a B+, admiring McShane's acting, but still seeing it as a "work in progress". EW's review also speculates as to whether the show will succeed, a concern taken up also by Variety.

A handful of reviews find it fascinating even if they are ultimately not particularly taken with it. Time calls it "fascinating pretentious hoo-ha" whilst USA Today settles for "a fascinating mess".

But some reviewers don't even find it's curiosity factor sufficient to gain their approval. The New York Times finds it "plodding" in spite of it's "bold" reinterpretation, whilst the Los Angeles Times goes for "corny, ponderous, literary, ambitious, obvious and... as slow as molasses".

Christian reviews seems a little hard to come by, but Christian Cinema suspects that the writers "couldn’t decide whether to be philosophical, politically correct... or corny". But Hollywood Jesus's reviewer is impressed - "The performances from all involved are top notch, the direction is superb".

Meanwhile, my friend Peter Chattaway has posted a few additional comments about the pilot. His interview with series creator Michael Green has also gone up at BC Christian News.

Kings Coming this Sunday

It's been a while since I wrote anything about NBC's Kings which premières this Sunday (15th March) at 8/7c. (In fact, I've been laid up after an operation so it's been a while since I wrote anything at all).

I'm still waiting for my screener, which is apparently in the post, so hopefully it'll arrive in time for me to be able to offer a review. Meanwhile, the cast and crew did a Q&A at a screening recently which Peter Chattaway linked to a couple of weeks back.

I'll be posting more on the pilot for this series over the next week or so.

First Kings now Samson

With the release of NBC's Kings just weeks away, the show's director Francis Lawrence (I am Legend) has signed up for another futuristic Bible adaptation. Variety is claiming that Lawrence has signed up with Warner Bros. to make Samson "a futuristic retelling of the Samson and Delilah story." Scott Silver (8 mile) will be writing the script with Erwin Stoff producing. Thanks to Peter Chattaway for this one.

Oh and Kings will now première on Sunday, March 15, at 8 pm, not Thursday March 19th as previously stated.

Kings Broadcast Dates Announced

According to the official website for NBC's Kings (see my previous posts), the 2 hour pilot will broadcast on March 19th 9pm/ET. There's also a teaser trailer - although it doesn't feature any footage from the show. There's also a somewhat novel promotional feature - a fake news website from the programme's parallel world, which itself leads onto a history of "the Royal Kingdom". It's here where we finally get to see a few shots from the series itself and there's a bit of background information as well.

I'll be keeping an eye on the site over the next couple of months, and hopefully there will be an opportunity for me to review it when we come to the middle of March.

Kings: New Website & Cast News

NBC has posted an official website for their forthcoming drama series Kings(see previous posts). In addition to a atmospheric opening intro sequence they have also posted the interviews from Comic Con, bios for the cast and crew and the following synopsis (featuring at least one spoiler):

Kings is the story of David Shepherd, an idealistic soldier who is thrust into the heart of power by one act of heroism. After single-handedly defeating the enemies of his people, David is rewarded by being brought into the court of King Silas, monarch of the modern nation of Gilboa.

David is initially dazzled by the pageantry and glamour of life among the royals, only to learn that the palace is teeming with deception. The young hero soon becomes a target for the deadly schemes of those vying for control of the kingdom. But he finds support from a beautiful princess, the king's own daughter... and their forbidden romance will launch David on a daring path to adventure.

As the line between friends and enemies blurs, David must survive the treacherous corridors of power and forge a new destiny that will forever change the world.

"Kings" takes place in a modern-day kingdom named Gilboa, and its shining metropolitan capital of Shiloh. It is ruled by King Benjamin Silas, the nation’s much-loved monarch, who unified several warring territories to found Gilboa many years ago. They have since built a proud and prosperous nation. While not a perfect society, the kingdom is a beacon of hope and idealism.

But the dark clouds of war continue to rumble in the north, where the forces of enemy nation Gath are massing to invade, and threaten to destroy all that King Silas has created...

That is, until a young soldier named David slays a fearsome Goliath tank, rallying the nation... and turning the tide of history.

That final idea is an interesting move, keeping things realistically contemporary, whilst (hopefully) doing justice to the tale's most iconic story.

And Peter Chattaway has linked to an article at Entertainment Weekly which carries some more casting news. The biggest new name is that of Macaulay Culkin who will appear in a "multi-episode arc" as "the king's nephew... exiled for mysterious reasons". Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan), Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield), and Leslie Bibb (Popular) will also star.

Brian Cox Joins Kings

A new article at The Hollywood Reporter claims that Brian Cox will star in four episodes of NBC's Kings. Cox will play "former King Vesper" - nemesis to Ian MacShane's King Saul figure. As Peter Chattaway notes, it's not immediately obvious whether Vesper relates to a particular character in the Old Testament text or whether the series spins off in it's own direction. Either way, Cox has good experience playing monarchs from the early second century BCE - the picture above is from his turn as King Agamemnon in Troy

Comic Con on Kings

Peter Chattaway has done a piece on NBC's Kings at the recent Comic Con convention in San Diego. Pick of pile is a video of the leading cast and crew discussing the pilot. He also links to Tara Bennett's interview with series creator Michael Green and a piece by Liz Shannon Miller.

Script Reviews for Kings (NBC)

David W. Dunlap/New York Times

There are a few bits and pieces to report on the forthcoming NBC drama Kings. Firstly NBC's latest schedule has the show lined up for the 10pm Sunday slot in Winter 2009. It also has it lined up for possible "encores" next summer. What's unclear is how long Kings' initial broadcast will be. Reuters are claiming that the whilst this was originally just a two-hour pilot, "NBC decided to proceed with a full series order after executives saw (some) footage".

There are also two script reviews by industry insiders Brian Ford Sullivan and James Hibberd. Sullivan is left "confused" by the programme's alternative universe, although he does admire its ambition. Hibberd is more positive, although rightly cautious until he's seen what the director does with the script.

Lastly, David Dunlap reports on the filming of a scene incorporating the Columbus Monument.

Update on NBC's Kings

NBC has released more details of its autumn / fall schedule including a little bit more about Kings. The modernised version the story of David will be shown in prime time and is described by the NBC website as being a "one hour special". There's also the following plot outline which expands on the Variety piece I discussed last month.

HOPE LIES IN BRAVERY.

Kings is an inspiring exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle. The show is set in a modern metropolis under siege, where the fighting has gone on for too long and cost far too many lives. When David Shepherd, a brave young soldier, rescues the king's son from enemy territory, he sets events in motion that will finally bring peace. Suddenly, David is thrust into the limelight, earning the affections of women - including the king's daughter. When he's promoted to Captain, he becomes the reluctant poster boy for hope. But for David, the line between his allies and enemies will blur as the power players in the kingdom go to great lengths to see him fall.

From the director of the blockbuster movie I Am Legend comes the ultimate story of David vs. Goliath, and there's no telling who will win.

Pictured above are McShane who'll play King Silas, Christopher Egan as David, and Sebastian Stan as Jack. I imagine Jack is the aforementioned son of King Silas, which is presumably the equivalent of Jonathan. If so, I wonder whether the series will explore the theory that David and Jonathan were lovers. I never know which of the major US stations is the conservative BBC1 equivalent, and which is the more radical Channel 4 equivalent.

Egan, McShane Head Kings Cast

I mentioned back in November that NBC were producing a modern day version of the life of David called Kings. Well Variety has just announced a couple of pieces of casting: Christopher Egan (Home and Away) will play David whilst Ian McShane (Lovejoy, Deadwood) will play the role of "the monarch". I'm guessing McShane's role will be akin to that of Saul, but it's also possible his role is the modern day equivalent of Achish or Maoch. Come to think of it he could also be playing David later in life. Time will tell I guess. McShane is, of course, no stranger to the Biblical TV drama having played Judas in 1977's Jesus of Nazareth and 1985's A.D. Anno Domini.

The Variety piece also clears up one other thing: This is not the David production that J. Michael Straczynski is writing. Michael Green (Heroes) is cited as the writer for this one.

Thanks to Peter Chattaway for spotting the story.

NBC to Modernise King David Working Title Kings

I'm a bit pushed for time today, but just got time to post this one up. According to Variety, NBC are producing a modern re-telling of the story of King David, with the working title Kings.

As Peter Chattaway notes, NBC are owned by the same company who owns Universal studios who have themselves got J. Michael Straczynski to write the script for a new David film which may, or may not be the one which Ralph Winter is producing.