PlayStation Network's "Powers" (Season 2 Premieres May 31)

[Scorpion Soldier]

Looks like Sony is following Microsoft into producing original series for their platforms.

Powers Comic to Become PlayStation TV Series

Part gritty cop drama. Part superhero comic. The graphic novel Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming seemed destined for a live-action adaptation from the moment issues first hit stands. After an entire television pilot was made for and scrapped by the FX channel in 2011, however, there was a chance that this might never happen. Now, it looks to be that the live-action Powers will finally take to the streets.

According to Deadline, Powers is being developed by Sony Pictures TV as an exclusive series for the growing PlayStation Network video service. The TV series will take the form of a live-action, hour-long show, with approximately 10 episodes in the first season. Charlie Huston is the scriptwriter on the new Powers pilot, and former Falling Skies head writer Remi Aubuchon also is on board to share showrunner duties with Huston. Original comic book creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming are included as executive producers.

Written by Bendis with art by Oeming, Powers is an award-winning comic that has been running through various iterations since 2000. The comic mashes up cop drama with superpowers, as two Chicago Homicide detectives try to maintain order in a world where powered heroes and villains exist. Their beat is costumed crime -- they investigate the suspicious deaths of those with special abilities. Powers is a dark story once described by FX's President as "...in the model of David Fincher's Seven and Zodiac or The Shield. It's a really gritty, edgy, very real cop show. It also happens to have superhero elements in it, but not front and center – they're around the margins and the back of it."

A pilot episode of Powers was produced for FX in 2011, starring Jason Patric and Lucy Punch. It did not lead to an order for more episodes, and the pilot was never released to the public. Actors from that pilot episode have since been released from the production, and this new version of Powers will likely feature a new cast.

Despite passing on the first version of the show, FX continued to stress that Powers was alive and an important project for the company. Much like The Walking Dead was a comic book that meshed perfectly with the AMC style of storytelling when it was adapted for TV, Powers was being created for television as a show to fit in with FX's own original programs such as Sons of Anarchy and The Americans. It was while Powers was still with FX that Charlie Huston (known for his work on Moon Knight) came aboard; Huston is now said to be leading this PlayStation Network version of the show.

Over the years, IGN has made it a personal mission to ask studio heads about plans for the Powers TV show at every major industry event. Here's what FX’s president John Landgraf had to say in IGN's 2013 interview about Powers:

"We’ve been through so many incarnations. After we made the pilot, we actually developed three more [episode] scripts. So then we had a pilot plus three scripts, and we decided between the pilot and the scripts that it wasn’t quite the series that we needed it to be. When I say we, by the way, Brian Bendis is involved in every phase of this conversation and discussion. But one of the scripts was written by this guy named Charlie Huston, and he was a novelist. Both I and Brian and others thought, “Wow, there is actually something in the tone of this.” So Charlie was approached, I think by Brian, and said, “Look, would you be interested in taking on Powers?” And Charlie said, “Well, I’ve never actually adapted anything before in my life. I have only written novels and stuff of my own, but Powers is my favorite graphic novel, and yes!”

So what ended up happening was we reconstituted the whole thing around Charlie as the creator, with Brian. Charlie went up to Seattle, and they sat down and they talked, and read through all the books, and they came back with a new vision, basically. Essentially, a new pilot to begin with, which is a new, different story than the pilot that we shot. So that pilot is officially gone and dead, and the actors are all gone, but we’re developing a whole new pilot from scratch."

Sony is eager to gain a foothold in the streaming video market, as services such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are quickly defining what the future of television watching will be for the next generation of cord-cutters. The company became a pioneer in producing original content available only via streaming when the anime Xam'd debuted exclusively on PSN in 2008. The video game reality show The Tester also was made exclusively for PlayStation Network and ran for three seasons. Not to be outdone, rival Microsoft also has exclusive programming in the works, with a Halo TV show for Xbox produced by Steven Spielberg leading as its flagship original series.

Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/...tion-tv-series

Haven't read the comics but the premise sounds pretty cool. I'll be interested in how they'll distribute it though. I hope it'll be part of the PlayStation Plus subscription.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Scorpion Soldier

Looks like Sony is following Microsoft into producing original series for their platforms.

Gee, maybe this'll be the biggest PSN-exclusive hit since "The Tester" or "Xam'd: Lost Memories".

[Scorpion Soldier]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Gee, maybe this'll be the biggest PSN-exclusive hit since "The Tester" or "Xam'd: Lost Memories".

Can't really compare a game show to a fictional series produced by an actual tv studio like Sony Pictures Television can we (Also, wtf is Xam'd xD)

[Elandyll]

I was interested in the project when I heard about it back when it was an FX pilot... Nice to see that it will apparently still be produced.

I have natural concerns about the buget allocated for the show with a PSN exclusive type channel, but it might a temporary exclusive with options for distribution on Networks later (cf the Netflix deals), which would make sense financially for SPE.

[WhySoCereal]

Well I'm definitely interested in a Powers show, but I don't know how I feel about having to watch it on my PS4. Looks like I'll be watching this on PSN and the Halo show on Xbox Live...

[theusher]

Sharlto Copley Nabs Lead in Powers, Michelle Forbes to Play 'Retro Girl'

Here’s some pretty-super Powers news: Film star Sharlto Copley is Christian Walker.

The District 9 and Maleficent actor has scored the lead role in Sony Playstation Network’s upcoming adaptation of the Brian Michael Bendis-Michael Avon Oeming graphic novel series, TVLine has learned.

Additionally, Michelle Forbes (The Killing, True Blood) has joined the cast as Retro Girl.

Powers follows two detectives, Christian Walker (Copley) and Deena Pilgrim (The Following‘s Susan Heyward), who are tasked with investigating homicide cases involving people with superpowers.

The charismatic Walker once possessed super powers, but lost them in a battle with a super-human mass killer. He now uses his singular expertise to investigate crimes in the Powers community.

Michelle Forbes Retro GirlForbes’ Retro Girl, meanwhile, is the undisputed super star of the Powers community. An icon of justice, selflessness, and business acumen, her willingness to put herself at risk for the good of others is matched only by her ability to manage her globe-spanning personal brand. (Forbes will juggle Powers with her co-starring role in A&E’s upcoming adaptation of The Returned.)

The cast of the direct-to-series project (penned by Charlie Huston) also includes The Riches‘ Eddie Izzard (as the resident Big Bad, Wolfe), Game of Thrones‘ Noah Taylor (as criminal mastermind Johnny Royalle), Greek‘s Olesya Rulin (as teenage Power wannabe Calista), The Killing‘s Max Fowler (as troubled teen Krispin Stockley) and Suits‘ Adam Godley (as Captain Cross).

Hannibal‘s David Slade is set to direct Powers‘ first two episodes.

http://tvline.com/2014/08/18/powers-...ation-network/

[i007spectre]

Not sure why, but this does not look very good at all.

Exclusive New York Comic Con Powers Trailer - YouTube

[Pizzamorg]

Considering it has Sharlto Copley and is based on a kick ass comic series I'm amazed by how bland that looks. Cheap I expected, but they reduced it to looking like pretty much every TV show ever, at the same time, turning it into a mush.

[jrsl76]

Great comic, bad looking trailer. Deena is now black? Ok.

[Carlanga]

I bet this is gonna be filled w sony product placement filleddddd

[djariya]

I can't imagine the viewing audience for Powers is going to be very big. I mean it's only going to be available on the PS4 with a PS Plus subscription. The gaming console audience is already kind of niche and I don't know how many gamers will watch this show. I don't think this will generate enough interest and money to sustain more than 1 season IMO.

[Carlanga]

Originally Posted by djariya

I can't imagine the viewing audience for Powers is going to be very big. I mean it's only going to be available on the PS4 with a PS Plus subscription. The gaming console audience is already kind of niche and I don't know how many gamers will watch this show. I don't think this will generate enough interest and money to sustain more than 1 season IMO.

Only PS4

[doctorD]

New Trailer:

http://collider.com/powers-trailer/#...I3tF15TOQ3iriK

Show starts tonight. 3 episodes if I'm not mistaken.

[doctorD]

Episode 1:

Powers: A PlayStation Original Series | Episode 1 - YouTube

[Elandyll]

Well, no lying about it, it is rough. Very rough.

Going to split things around between the pros and cons.

Pro:
- Cast (Copley, Izzard, Forbes...)
- Some (too rare) decent FX for a small budget TV show
- Some (again, too rare) decent secondary acting (the co-lead and the kid who opened the door come to mind)
- Very interesting premise, and big ideas that need more time to develop

Cons:
- Bad photography
- Mediocre editing
- Some mediocre to downright terrible dialogues
- Bad to terrible acting overall (even the seasoned vets seemed like fish out of water. The -bad- dialogues and probably the -lack of- acting direction do not help).
- Bad CGI FX aside from a few
- Obvious shoestring budget
- Tons of Ham and Cheese, enough for a mega platter at Costco

My conclusion:
This is an Ego project for Bendis who got a (small) budget from Sony, and who would have needed a Darabont to his Kirkman. Obviously, he didn't get one ... unfortunately.

Hopefully the show will improve a lot, but I have little hope it will sadly (it was probably all shot together over a short time period).
I will probably watch it based solely on the premise and hoping the main actors will carry it, but it doesn't look too good atm.

Originally Posted by Carlanga

I bet this is gonna be filled w sony product placement filleddddd

On the plus side, it wasn't too obnoxious. I noticed -1- obvious Sony laptop placement (I'm sure the phones were all Sony, but I didn't find the branding distracting). Funny thing being, Sony since sold their PC division, so it's not a Sony laptop anymore actually.

[zeze]

Can't even watch it in Canada. Bunch of crap.

[BluProofie]

This looks awful. How does Sharlto Copley keep getting work?

[doctorD]

'Powers' Renewed for Second Season at PlayStation (Exclusive)

Powers has muscled its way to a second season.

The drama, based on the Image/Icon comic book of the same name, has been renewed for a second season at PlayStation, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Powers, based on Brian Michael Bendis' comic, stars Sharlto Copley as a cop who works in the Powers division of the police force and deals with crimes involving those endowed with special abilities. The drama will return in 2016.

The drama was originally developed at FX — including going to pilot — before it landed at producer Sony Pictures Television's corporate sibling PlayStation as the console's first original scripted drama with a 10-episode straight-to-series pickup and a new cast including Susan Heyward, Eddie Izzard and Michelle Forbes.

Powers ranks as PlayStation Network's most-watched series premiere on the platform, with all of season one available to PlayStation Network and free to PlayStation Plus subscribers.

"The reception to Powers has been incredible, and we are thrilled to have successfully launched a platform for original content with the PlayStation gamer in mind," said John Koller, vp platforms marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America. “We believe original content will continue to be a key pillar as we broaden the value proposition for PlayStation Plus, and we’re excited for what’s to come with season two of Powers.”

Powers is produced by Jinxworld and Circle of Confusion in association with SPT. Comics scribe Charlie Huston exec produces alongside Remi Aubuchon, Bendis and comics co-creator Michael Avon Oeming, David Engel, Lawrence Mattis, David Alpert and Frank Frattaroli.

"There is a lot to look forward to in season two for both new and existing fans of the series, as we broaden the Powers universe and bring even more of the fan-favorite characters and storylines to life," said Jamie Erlicht, president of programming and development at SPT.

Powers was the latest comics-to-the-small-screen series to debut as part of the fall's big bet on genre. It joins Netflix's recently renewed Daredevil — the first of Marvel's five series for the streaming service — as well as ABC's Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter — and DC Comics properties Gotham (Fox), The Flash (The CW), Arrow (The CW) and Constantine (NBC).

THR

[the reynholm]

Powers Season 2 Official First Look Trailer - YouTube

[doctorD]

Looking forward to Season 2.