Bad news, guys. Or, at the very least, potentially bad news. Either way, it’s not good news for Heroes fans. According to The Futon Critic, NBC has elected to indefinitely shelf plans for the Heroes spin-off, Origins, which was scheduled to air after the Heroes Season 2 finale, a move that the network had hope would hold onto the Heroes audience after the show goes on vacation. Now, the network cites “financial concerns” associated with the impending writer’s strike as the reason they have, at least for now, canceled Heroes: Origins.
Here’s what Futon Critic said:
Meanwhile, the Peacock has also given the hook to “Heroes: Origins,” a previously announced six-episode spin-off of Tim Kring’s popular drama featuring one-off tales about new characters in the show’s universe. It’s understood the project has been shelved indefinitely due to financial concerns as the network readies for the expected WGA strike. Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, Michael Dougherty and John August were among the names set to be involved with “Origins,” which was still in the early stages of pre-production.
Bottom line, what does this mean? It doesn’t mean that Heroes: Origins has been canceled permanently, merely that, at this point in time, NBC has no plans to actually make the series unless the writers guild strike is settled, and NBC can be assured that Origins won’t cost them more than they’ll make from it.
I’m guessing that unless Heroes’ second season improves in the ratings, and continues to be a hit, then Origins will probably never happen. Then again, the impending writers strike has gotten everyone in Hollywood a little unsettled and unsure of everything they do, so all of this could be cleared up as soon as the strike is averted — if it’s averted, that is.
Update
John August confirms on his blog that Tim Kring has given him the bad news — Origins is indeed cancelled.
I can confirm that the plug got pulled on the six Heroes: Origins episodes, one of which I was slated to write and direct. The possiblity of a WGA strike1 made NBC hesitant to prep a series they might never be able to shoot.
I had literally just hit “Print” on my revised outline when I got the call from Tim Kring. So, yeah. I’m bummed. But I get it: It was a lot of money to spend in a very uncertain time. And if the labor situation resolves in an orderly fashion, the series could find itself out of the deep freeze for next season.
In case we never get to shoot it, my episode is/was called “Rehab.” Not everyone is good with their powers. Not everyone is good, period.
Sounds like a great idea for an episode, too…
