'HEROES' spin-off on hold
NBC has pulled the Heroes spin-off miniseries from its mid-season launch.
After months of Internet buzz, production on the Heroes spin-off miniseries (unofficially called Heroes: Origins) has been "indefinitely postponed" by NBC. The anticipated writers' strike has been blamed for the decision.
The network has had no comment on the plug-pulling.
According to the trades, NBC Universal heads pushed for a postponement on the beginning of production because they as yet had no scripts in hand, and the WGA contract expiration on Wednesday (31 Oct) made a delivery date very vague.
But the looming strike possibly could share the fault with Mr. Nielsen. Heroes has taken repeated hits in the ratings as fans slowly have tuned out. Last week's episode averaged just 10.7 million viewers, down 6 percent from the previous week.
The six-episode miniseries formerly called Heroes: Origins--NBC ditched the title in mid-October without announcing a replacement--was originally slated to air in April, during the regular show's hiatus. It would feature tales of six new heroes unconnected to the main series. The project had attracted talent such as Kevin Smith (Clerks), director Eli Roth (Hostel), Michael Dougherty (Superman Returns) and John August (Shazam) to write and/or direct. It also had elicited a quotable quote from auteur Quentin Tarantino: "What the f&$# is Heroes?"
The network has so far refrained from uttering the dreaded "C" word. And, while NBC hasn't said what WILL become of the series, rumor suggests that it’s dead.
[Thanks to PETER SCIRETTA at Slashfilm and MAUREEN RYAN at the Chicago Tribune for additional material.]