Race to Mars Begins Production in Montreal Production news / Discovery Channel Posted by RAD on May 02, 2006 - 07:41 AM |
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Scientists have set their sights on the human exploration of Mars within a generation - but Discovery Channel and Galafilm Inc. will bring the Red Planet experience to audiences across Canada and around the world even sooner than science, announcing today that principal photography has begun on Race to Mars. This landmark three-hour docudrama imagines and simulates with breathtaking realism the first human mission to Mars based on the science being developed and tested today. Production on Race to Mars, starring Michael Riley (Supervolcano, This is Wonderland) as astronaut Captain Rick Erwin, commenced today in Montreal and St-Hubert, Quebec, and will continue through mid-June. The Race to Mars mini-series is a key element in Discovery Channel's groundbreaking multi-format television and interactive event that tells the story of the greatest human exploration of this century - the first human mission to the planet Mars. This unprecedented project will see both this ambitious docudrama and an exhaustive six-hour companion documentary series, Mars Rising (also produced by Galafilm Inc.), premiere on Discovery Channel in 2007. The broadcast event will be complemented by extensive multi-platform Mars Interactive elements created by Quickplay Media. With a combined budget of approximately CDN $20-million, this original homegrown endeavour is the most expensive science television project in production this year worldwide. "Experts suggest that we will see a successful voyage to Mars during our lifetime. Our children and grandchildren could even be living there," said Paul Lewis, President and General Manager of Discovery Channel. "Race to Mars isn't science fiction - the production is based on the most current research and backed by impeccable scientific credentials. The first human mission to Mars will be the most dangerous and complex expedition humanity has ever undertaken. Getting to the Moon was child's play in comparison. This is truly an extraordinary opportunity for Discovery Channel to offer viewers the trip of a lifetime." Lewis adds that Canada is a key player in Mars exploration, noting that a Canadian astronaut is part of the mission and that the Canadian Space Agency recently announced plans to send a probe to Mars. The CSA is currently researching the viability of a Mars habitat and NASA is using Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic to simulate the inhospitable conditions on Mars in order to better prepare for human exploration of the planet. Born out of exhaustive scientific research and consultation, the three-hour mini-series Race to Mars captures every exhilarating detail, from lift-off to touchdown on Mars, drawing viewers into the heart of this amazing journey. In the year 2030, the race to be the first to reach the Red Planet is on - and China is leading the way. China has stunned the world by leapfrogging over America's long-term plans and has landed a series of advanced rovers and robotic landers in their quest to make the most important discovery in history - extraterrestrial life on Mars. Once again, America and its partners, including Canada, are thrust into a winner-take-all space race - but the stakes are higher than the race to the Moon nearly seven decades earlier. The international team accelerates its plans - when China prepares to send its final wave of rovers, this consortium will surge ahead and at last launch a human crew. Six extraordinary individuals from Canada, the United States, Russia, France and Japan are selected for this gruelling two-year mission. These four men and two women must work together as a team, rise above their secret fears and struggle with the sacrifice of leaving friends and family behind. Among them, the driven mission commander who's never known failure - until he loses one of his own to the unforgiving environment on Mars; the rational flight surgeon who discovers a new spirituality as she grapples with the magnitude of her journey; the veteran cosmonaut who knows just how many rules can be broken; the brilliant French nuclear physicist; and the Canadian astronaut who will play a key role before the end of the journey. Training and determination will get them only so far, and when this crew sets out on humanity's first expedition to another world, nothing can prepare them for the unexpected danger and staggering wonder of what they will experience... A fourth hour, presented in a faux documentary style, will feature interviews with the Race to Mars astronauts following the 2030 mission. This post-voyage special sees the astronauts reflect on the magnitude of what they experienced on the expedition and examines their emotions and inner psychology during the mission through personal reflection and video-diaries. "Just as Captain Rick Erwin assembled the 'best of the best' for his pioneering mission to Mars, so too have we gathered the most comprehensive research, technologically accurate effects, strongest cast and most compelling writing team for this intensive Race to Mars production," said Phyllis Platt, Executive Producer for Galafilm Inc. As production begins in Montreal, the visual effects created for Race to Mars will transport viewers 56-million kilometers away from home to the outer limits of human ingenuity. Shot in High Definition, the simulated 2030 mission to Mars will be supported by hard science - from the props and costumes to the Martian environment and spaceship/rover models - each aspect is designed in consultation with an expert panel of scientists and space engineers. Visual effects will include on-set stunt work, digital post-production animation and sophisticated CGI created by the Montreal-based SFX teams behind feature film blockbusters such as The Aviator, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and The Day After Tomorrow. Canadian writing team Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens wrote the mini-series script for Race to Mars. The Reeves-Stevens' have extensive writing and producing credits to their names, including Star Trek: Enterprise (story editors and co-producers for season four), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (staff writers and supervising producers); have developed series with Dreamworks, Film Roman and Universal Television among others; and are accomplished fiction writers, with political/military thrillers earning them a place on the New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller list and praise from Steven King. The Reeves-Stevens' were invited by NASA's Chief Administrator, Sean O'Keefe, to become members of an ongoing Space Policy Workshop of "distinguished forward-thinking individuals to bring new perspectives and ideas into the debate" to produce a new vision for America's future goals in space. Their extensive knowledge of science, technology and political policy - not to mention exceptional storytelling skills - have resulted in a script that is both full of compelling human drama and faultless technical accuracy. Bringing the remarkable story to life, lead actor Michael Riley is joined by cast members Pascale Bussičres (When Night is Falling) as Jackie Decelles; Lothaire Bluteau (Jčsus de Montrčal, Black Robe) as Antoine Hebert; Claudia Ferri (Mambo Italiano, Hunt for Justice) as Lucia Alarcon; Frank Schorpion (One Dead Indian, Human Trafficking) as Mikhail Cerenkov and Kevan Ohtsji (Stargate SG-1) as Hiromi Okuda. About Mars Rising: A companion to Race to Mars and Mars Interactive, Mars Rising is a six-part documentary series detailing the significant challenges facing a mission to Mars and explores the efforts being made by contemporary scientists, engineers and planners to bring the mission to fruition. Shot in HD in over 90 locations around the world and in consultation with 275 experts, see how the challenges being grappled with today will lead to a manned mission to Mars in the next 20 years. About Mars Interactive: Produced by Quickplay Media, Mars Interactive is a fully immersive and integrated web experience that connects Race to Mars and Mars Rising material, allowing for online gaming and a deeper exploration of the science and technology involved in the Mars mission. Set to premiere in 2007, international broadcast partners include Discovery Networks International, The Science Channel and ARTE. |
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