I got a chance to take a sneak peek at the pilot episode of “Enormous,” a new web series about a world where giant monsters have laid waste to everything while a mysterious virus works its way through humanity.
Directed by BenDavid Grabinski, it's just eleven and a half minutes, but it establishes a world and it plays with some big fun effects and it feels genuinely cinematic. It serves as a stark reminder that the world is changing in terms of where we can sell projects and what kind of outlets there are for creativity these days. “Enormous” is set to premiere on the Machinima network. They also recently debuted “Rubicon,” a live-action pilot from Chris McQuarrie and Mark Long, and they're premiering “Gable 5” next week, with Kevin Tancharoen directing Eliza Dushku. They are trying all sorts of things, and it feels like Machinima is offering up a genuine alternative to someplace like Syfy.
Now it appears PlayStation is also looking to start offering original programming, and the first program announced is surprising if you've been following the development of it over the years. “Powers,” based on the comic by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, was set up at FX for years. They got as far as shooting a pilot, then went back to the drawing board to redevelop the show again. I have no idea what the problems were, but it seems like a major paradigm shift for Sony Pictures TV to decide to shift the program over to an unproven space like PlayStation.
I'm intrigued to read that Charlie Huston, a damn fine writer, is the author of the new PlayStation pilot for “Powers.” Bendis and Huston will both serve as show runners for the series, and they've already been given a ten-episode order. The show, set in a world where superheroes are everywhere, is about the police who have to investigate the cases involving those superpowered beings, and in particular, it follows Detective Christian Walker, who has a very specific connection to the Powers.
XBox is working on their own dramatic programming, and their first show “Halo” should premiere in a time frame tied to the release of the newest chapter of the popular game franchise.
You tell me… does it matter anymore where something premieres? Is there any stigma at all to online programming, or is this the way the future's going to look?
“Enormous” premieres today on Machinima.
“Powers” has no current air date scheduled.