ITV has announced it has secured the rights to US sci-fi series Sanctuary which stars Stargate: SG-1 star Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, a 157-year old physician who studies monsters.
The series, which is set to receive its UK premiere on the network’s ITV4 digital channel, also stars Robin Dunne as her reluctant protégé, psychiatrist Will Zimmerman and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup, Battlestar Gallactica). The trio seek to find and help the strange and often frightening creatures that populate their world.
Shot almost entirely on green screen with live-action actors the show began life last year as a web-based series. Within one month of the online premiere more than 500,000 people had viewed the 20-minute series pilot.
Announcing the acquisition, ITV4 channel editor Dave Fewings said: “Coming from the team behind Stargate and starring Amanda Tapping, Sanctuary really couldn’t have a better sci-fi pedigree. It already has a great online following and with over 90% of the series shot on green screen it’s absolutely at the cutting edge of the genre; I’m looking forward to premiering it on ITV4 as a key title in our sci-fi portfolio.â€
The series is being produced by Stage 3 Media in association with SCI FI Channel in the USA. Mark Stern, SCI-FI executive vice president of original programming, said the show promised to be “a totally fresh television viewing experienceâ€.
“This stylistic approach to virtual sets has proven hugely popular on the big screen, and we have been looking for a chance to use it on a television series. We’ve worked with Damian, Martin, Amanda and Sam on numerous projects in the past and think they are the perfect team to tackle something this ambitious.â€