SciFi Confirms 'Battlestar' Movie

The film, which will be written by Jane Espenson and directed by Edward James Olmos as first reported more than a month ago by Galactica Sitrep and SyFy Portal, will focus more on the humanoid Cylons played by Dean Stockwell, Michael Trucco and Aaron Douglas.

The timeframe of the telemovie is a bit confusing from the SciFi Wire report. It states that the setting is before the original miniseries, but then describes the storyline as being after the attacks. Apparently, the action takes place among survivors of the attack -- something the Cylons didn't plan for -- as two Cylon agents try to wrest control while at the same time quell the human resistance.

It's not clear exactly what Trucco and Douglas will be doing in the telemovie as they play Sam Anders and Chief Galen Tyrol, two of the Final Five Cylons. It is assumed that no one knew they were Cylons before they found out themselves (and Deanna saw it in a vision).

The movie was originally supposed to have been written by popular writing duo David Weddle and Bradley Thompson. However, the two landed on the CBS series "CSI," and had to leave the "Battlestar" writing team.

Shooting for the film is expected to begin in the summer. Olmos, best known for playing Adm. William Adama in the series, has directed three other episodes of the SciFi Channel series including "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down," "Taking a Break from All Your Worries" and "Escape Velocity."

Espenson, who became popular with genre fans after her work with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and an episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," wrote four episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" including "The Passage," "Dirty Hands," "Escape Velocity" and "The Hub."

The final episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" air beginning in January 2009, and the telemovie will air sometime after the end of the series.

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