[brian s]

Posted on Thursday 20 November 2008
Resistance: TV for the naturally gifted

Superheroes used to be the exclusive property of kids and comic book nerds, but times are a changin’. With the birth of the superhero blockbuster and the success of shows like Smallville and Heroes, a whole array of super-powered programmes have been spawned. Australia’s offering is Resistance, where the naturally gifted save the world with the help of technologically advanced costumes. Mark Juddery caught up with the cast and creator Andrew Dillon to find out all about it.

“It’s a very strange thing being an icon,” says Jane Badler. “I wish I could use my icon status for something. I know there’s a lot of fans out there, and I think that in some ways it would be great to do a project with fans, one with a kind of international flavour.”

Badler has been a science fiction icon since 1984, thanks to V, the popular, strangely chilling mini-series in which Earth is invaded by reptilian aliens. Genre fans still remember her terrifying but oh-so-sexy performance as Diana - a TV villain who was as scheming and cold-blooded (literally, in her case) as they come.

She later moved to Australia, and now lives in Melbourne with her family. While she still acts, she also recently recorded the album The Devil Has My Double. Now she is returning to alien invasions with Resistance, which is planned as both a movie and a TV series. This time, she’s not only human, but she’s one of the good guys. Sort of…

“I can’t imagine I’d be playing a character who’s just a good person,” says Badler. “I always find myself playing someone edgy. I believe that, as the series progresses, I might have some say in that.” She is quick to point out, however, that she is not the star of show. In this ensemble series, one of Australia’s few major genre projects for some time, she is happy to take a back seat.

Drawing comparisons

Resistance is about a rich, bald genius who runs a school for gifted youngsters from around the globe. In this school, they are secretly given combat training, which will hopefully help them to save the world.

But before it’s dismissed as an X-Men rehash, let it be noted that these teenagers are not mutants. They are “gifted” in the traditional sense: an incredibly bright bunch of kids. But yes, they are still superheroes – they get their powers from hi-tech power-suits.

Creator, director and producer Andrew Dillon also denies any similarities to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but admits that (like almost everything else) Resistance is inspired by numerous past hits.

An industry veteran, who has worked on the likes of Neighbours and Home and Away, Dillon describes his new project as “Thunderbirds meets X-Men, with a bit of James Bond thrown in for good measure.” He also compares it to another, somewhat different, television series. “Kids today are a bit more switched-on, and we’re tapping into it. It’s a bit like Heartbreak High was, back in the day.”

For those who don’t know their Australian TV, Heartbreak High was a 1990s high-school drama series, tougher and grittier than Neighbours could ever be. It was renowned for candidly tackling real-life youth issues. “We want [Resistance] to be grounded in reality. It’s not Hannah Montana. It’s not High School Musical.” Most of the students, are geeks (albeit very attractive ones), and have endured the pain of alienation. One suffers from bipolar disorder.

This team of super-geeks is assembled by the enigmatic billionaire Stephen Hope, described by Dillon as a cross between Bond and Richard Branson. He is played by his namesake, Nicholas Hope, award-winning star of the 1993 cult movie Bad Boy Bubby.

For all his heroism, Hope is detached and impersonal. His associate, Professor Billings (Bobby Farquhar), is like a father figure to the young geniuses, relating to them in ways that the aloof Hope cannot. Farquhar, a Mancunian actor, who now lives in Australia, has already played a part in science fiction history. As a child ballet dancer, he scored his first professional acting gig operating the inside of a Dalek in an early Doctor Who story.

Set up for success

Dillon is aiming for the 12-24 age group – an audience that, he believes, isn’t given enough respect by filmmakers. “We’re not an Australian show going for the American market,” explains Dillon. “We’re an international show that knows what the networks want.”

Another audience, obviously, will be science fiction fans. Dillon, a self-confessed sci-fi geek, has hired skilled craftsmen of the genre on both sides of the camera. Story editor Craig Miller, once a Lucasfilm marketing consultant, now has a long-running TV-writing career. Other writers on board include comic-book legend Marv Wolfman (of The New Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths fame) and popular Doctor Who scribe Paul Cornell.

The project also attracted Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings cinematographer Andrew Lesnie and well-regarded visual effects team Atmosphere VFX, which has worked its magic on shows like Babylon 5 and The 4400.

Once again, Badler plays a character named Diana – “I think that was deliberate,” she laughs – but she describes her new role as the “antithesis” of the villain who made her famous. She plays the overprotective mother of hero James (Cooper Drabsch), a sci-fi nut who constantly references classic movies and TV shows – including V.

Meet the team

“They’ve really cast it well,” says Badler, amazed by the young Aussie actors who play the team of American, Japanese, French and Spanish characters. “All the cast are so sexy – as in, they’re very charismatic,” she says.

Farquhar, who also teaches martial arts, choreographed some of the youngsters fight scenes – and was equally impressed. “A lot of them have a dance background, [so] they’re learning things I haven’t been able to teach others in two [or] three years… I don’t know how [Dillon] found them. They can act, [do] martial arts, [and] they’re all good-looking.”

In Resistance, the power suits simply enhance the characters’ “natural abilities”. Hence, their self-proclaimed leader, American rebel Brandon Hart (Kain O’Keefe), works out a lot, so his suit gives him super-strength. Texan “cheerleader-with-a-brain” Leeza Watkins (Jessica Smith) gets super-speed, and has to eat voraciously to keep her strength.

Gemma Pranita, takes on Spanish quiet-girl Valentina Vega, whose brains made her an outcast at school. Her shyness makes her power suit bend light around her, turning her invisible. Although it’s a bit of a stretch that this is an enhancement of a natural ability, Pranita’s toughest job might be making us believe that a stunner like her could possibly go unnoticed. The actress seems far more bubbly than the withdrawn Valentina. “Nothing really beats a bunch of teenagers kicking butt and saving the world,” she says.

Resistance will be released as a theatrical movie in 2009, to be followed (all going well) by a 26-part TV series. It’s early days yet, but with its concept, its cast and its credentials, it’s already looking like a hit.

[redwing]

sounds good but it is a rip off whatever they say .

would i watch it ? yep lol

[brian s]

It has now been cancelled.

Australian superhero drama Resistance is cancelled News - Total Sci Fi

Bri

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by brian s

It has now been cancelled.

Australian superhero drama Resistance is cancelled News - Total Sci Fi

Bri

By heck that was quick.

Mutant X was sort of a rip off as well.

[brian s]

Originally Posted by Garrett

Mutant X was sort of a rip off as well.

Wasn't there legal action threatened over that one?

Bri

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by brian s

Wasn't there legal action threatened over that one?

Bri

Dont know who by but I thogh Marvel was involed with the series, not unless it was Fox as they may have had the right to the X-men on film. Who were the makers of the series?

[brian s]

Originally Posted by Garrett

Dont know who by but I thogh Marvel was involed with the series, not unless it was Fox as they may have had the right to the X-men on film. Who were the makers of the series?

Garrett

It's covered here under Lawsuits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutant_X_(TV_series)

Regards
Bri

[Garrett]

Originally Posted by brian s

Garrett

It's covered here under Lawsuits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutant_X_(TV_series)

Regards
Bri

Link not showing the lawsuit, but a branch says it was made by Marvel.

[brian s]

Sorry about that Garrett. I've no idea why the link's not working. This is the bit I was talking about.

Lawsuits

In 2001, 20th Century Fox (the producer of the X-Men series of films) sued Marvel (the originator of the characters in Mutant X and the X-Men), Tribute Entertainment (the distributor of Mutant X) and Fireworks Entertainment (the producer and international distributor of Mutant X) for breach of their licensing agreement and false advertisement. Fox stated it had exclusive rights from Marvel to develop the X-Men property, and anything similar was an infringement. Fox claimed that Mutant X was too similar to X-Men, and that Mutant X was being advertised as an "X-Men replacement." Fox asked that Mutant X production be stopped.

Marvel, within weeks, countersued Fox, saying that the two were dissimilar and asking the courts to allow Mutant X production to go forward. Production was allowed, as long as X-Men material was not used in the promotion of Mutant X. Apparently the title "Mutant X" itself was deemed too close to "X-Men" to be effectively leveraged.

With this environment, there was virtually no development of Mutant X merchandising.

In 2003, Fox and Marvel resolved their differences in confidential settlements of their suits, while Fox continued to pursue their cases against Tribune and Fireworks (apparently focusing on the false advertisement issues of using X-Men as a "springboard" to launch Mutant X). Tribune then sued Marvel (for $100,000,000) for fraud and breach of contract, stating that Marvel encouraged Tribune to connect Mutant X to the X-Men, misrepresenting what they were getting in their license, and causing millions in losses due to the need to alter storylines and characters to ensure distance between Mutant X and X-Men (which Tribune asserts led to the failure of the Mutant X series) as well as fighting Fox's litigation.

Litigation between Tribune and Marvel (and perhaps still between Fox and Tribune) appears to be continuing its way through the courts as of December 2006.

Cheers
Bri