Variety is reporting that the Sci Fi Channel has greenlit Caprica, a prequel series to the hit show Battlestar Galactica.  Caprica is set 50 years before the Cylon (robot) revolt that forms the driving force behind BSG.  The new series takes place on the planet Caprica where two rival families the implications of the advances in artificial intelligence and robotics.  The new series, which will be produced by BSG masterminds Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, will star Eric Stolz, Polly Walker, Esai Morales, and Paula Malcomson. 

 

The Sci Fi Channel has already commissioned a two-hour Caprica pilot (see “BSG Prequel Greenlit”), which was written by Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights).  According to Variety, the Sci Fi Channel is aiming for an early 2010 debut for the Caprica series.  The final ten episodes of the Battlestar Galactica series are set to run on the Sci Fi Channel in Q1 2009.  Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, a two-hour movie adaptation is scheduled for early summer (see “Another BSG Prequel”).

 

The Battlestar Galactica property has spun-off a huge amount of merchandise including comics, manga, action figures, statues, board games, and card games, and if Caprica is a success it may have similar potential, though since it is a family drama set on an earthlike planet rather than in outer space, it may attract a different, if broader audience.