New s-f by Abrams

I'm trying to think how this can be significantly different from Robocop and I Robot. There could be a 'comedy element' introduced by having the robot partner being naive about human culture and making "hilarious mistakes and gaffes". Of course Data did that years ago, in space.....so....

One thing that it won't have that I Robot did is Bridget Moynahan, so that's a minus...


Thursday, September 06, 2012
'Fringe' Producers J.J. Abrams and J.H. Wyman Creating a Robot-Cop Sci-Fi Project

Laurel Brown
Senior Writer, BuddyTV

As one crazy sci-fi experiment ends, another begins. Two of the executive producers of Fringe, J.J. Abrams and J.H. Wyman are working together on a new science fiction pilot. And this one will have robots!

The new show, currently untitled, will be set in the near-future. In this cop drama, police officers team up with human-like androids to solve crime (as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter). If the pilot makes it, we can expect this new program to air on FOX.

There are few other details available on this project, which would most likely debut in the 2012-2013 season if picked up. No actors are reported as attached yet.

What do we know? J.H. Wyman will write the pilot episode. He will then executive produce the series with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk for Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. Since this police drama will be set in the near-future, there may be some similarities to J.J. Abrams' upcoming series, Revolution (airing on NBC this fall and also available to watch now, here on BuddyTV).

Of course, if we're dealing with androids, there will definitely be electricity.

The concept of a futuristic cop drama is not exactly new in any format. This project immediately brings to mind films like Robocop as well as TV shows like Alien Nation. Will the new J.J. Abrams/J.H. Wyman project focus more on the procedural aspects of police work? Or will this be more of a character-driven story in which the humanity of an android cop would be explored (kind of like I, Robot -- the book version, not the murderous film version)? Judging from the past works from these specific producers, character focus seems likely.

J.H. Wyman should have time to stay on top of his new future-robot-cop show in upcoming seasons. His current show, Fringe, is just about to begin its fifth and final, 13-episode season. As for J.J. Abrams, the man obviously likes to keep busy. This driving force behind shows like Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest and others probably wouldn't be happy without at least one new program each season.

Check back here for more updates on this pilot!

Very true. Robots have been covered extensively in sci-fi over the last 40+ years. The fact that robots still keep popping up in TV, movies and books tells me there is room for more. :D

I remember watching the TV series Lost in Space as a very little kid in the 70's. I also remember a Stat-Trek TOS episode with an interesting premise, a new idea to me at the time. I'm sure Twilight Zone had robot episode or two as well. That's as far back as my memory goes on robots. More robots, less vampires.

The first robot-themed (somewhat) movie to capture a lot of attention from the mass audience was The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951. But of course there were robots in movies long before that although most often they were in Saturday serial matinees. In TDTESS , the robot (I will look up its name) (Gort) was second fiddle to Michael Rennie as Klattu...."Klattu Barada Nikto", as we all remember. But in the novelette that the movie was based on, "Farewell to the Master", the robot wasn't a robot at all but was the controlling entity and the humanoid character was its creation. This would have been far too sophisticated for the movie whose main premise was avoiding nuclear war, although it didn't go so far as to advocate unilateral disarmament. That concept would have to wait until about another 9-10 years until the start of the hippie era and its infiltration by the Communists.

There were several robot themed episodes in The Twilight Zone. The only one I can remember right now is "Battling Maxon", I think it was, about an 'over the hill' robot boxer who still had one good fight left in him......that's all I remember. Which isn't quite correct....
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734623/)

But there's a movie out now with the same concept....

Who said the 20th Century was a simple time ?.....

I loved Forbidden Planet.
The old trailer is hysterical...so different from the ones in the theater today
I'm not sure who the studio is more impressed with the idea or themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y4crGU7dkg

It always reminds me of the opening song from Rocky Horror...wonder why?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5MHNvOVl8Y

Lyrics:
Michael Rennie was ill the day the earth stood still
But he told us where we stand
And Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear
Claude Raines was the invisible man
Then something went wrong for Fay Wray and King Kong
They got caught in a celluloid jam
Then at a deadly pace it came from outer space
And this is how the message ran:

Science Fiction - Double Feature
Dr. X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Ann Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Oh-oh at the late night, double feature, picture show.

I knew Leo G. Carroll was over a barrel
When Tarantula took to the hills
And I really got hot when I saw Janet Scott
Fight a Triffid that spits poison and kills
Dana Andrews said prunes gave him the runes
And passing them used lots of skills
But when worlds collide, said George Pal to his bride
I'm gonna give you some terrible thrills, like a:

Science Fiction - Double Feature
Dr. X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Ann Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Oh-oh at the late night, double feature, picture show.
I wanna go, oh-oh, to the late night double feature picture show.
By RKO, oh-oh, at the late night double feature picture show.
In the back row at the late night double feature picture show.

I wanna go to a drive-in late night double feature!

Those are pretty funny Sandi. I'd never heard those lyrics from RHPS. While we're discussing robots let's not forget where the word came from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_%C4%8Capek

Another funny video, not exactly S-F but related...

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/01/17/indiana-jones-stop-motion-raiders/