Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

October 8, 2017: Dark Matter Update and BTS videos!

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To those of you wondering – Yes, I may be relaxing, but I haven’t given up on giving you an ending to Dark Matter.  While a fourth season isn’t in the cards, I still hold out hope for a mini-series somewhere, somewhen down the line. Alternately, I’ve reached out about a possible comic book continuation of the story and the initial conversation was very promising.

Even though I’m enjoying my time off, taking meetings, considering other opportunities, I’m really itching to write more Dark Matter.  So much so that I’m toying with the idea of writing a script (or two, or who knows?) and releasing it online.  I also heard talk of the the entire cast gathering at a convention next year and doing a table read – and I can’t think of better table-reading material than Episode 401.

Anyway, just keeping you in the loop – as always.  Feeling a little wistful today, so uploading some of my favorite BTS videos from the show’s first season.  Enjoy!

A virtual walk-thru of The Raza bridge:

The very first shot of the very first episode.  Directed by T.J. Scott:

Shooting the pilot’s anti-grav sequence with stunt coordinator John Stead:

The Dark Matter boys’ choir, Parts 1 and 2:

My sneaky reveal of The Mole’s identity – season 1 finale:

Season 1 wrap with director Andy Mikita:

 

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39 responses

  1. markgundy Avatar
    markgundy

    How did you come up with the coolest name ever for a Space Ship? Any story there?

    Reply
    1. Anthony Avatar
      Anthony

      Without actually going back in Joe’s blog entires and seeing if at some point he actually explained it, my theory has been that it’s a play on José Vasconcelos’s essay, La Raza Cósmica.

      Reply
  2. Paula Zimmerman Avatar
    Paula Zimmerman

    Thank you for continuing to bring us wonderful things!

    Reply
  3. Mart Aeonian Avatar
    Mart Aeonian

    A great entry to smile to today, Joe.

    I’m so glad to hear that the Dark Matter addiction that you (and we all) have is going to only manifest itself in more ways than previously thought. Comic books, a mini series possibly somewhen and new scripts all sounds genuinely amazing to me.
    Like I said in an earlier tweet, “cancellation isn’t extinction – and extinction isn’t an option” … And we are many … And we all have your back, my friend.

    All the best.

    Reply
  4. Michael Lutz Avatar
    Michael Lutz

    Take your time, Joe. We don’t need to know how it ends right now, we just want to know eventually. I would much rather have a fleshed out version of the ending in a year or two than just get brief bullet points of the big picture highlights here tomorrow. (Provided of course, that that can happen in a way that makes financial and creative sense to you; You don’t owe us anything)

    I still have a bad taste in my mouth on how SG:U ended. It’s less about the specific cliff hanger, and more about the big secret of the universe the ancients were seeking, finishing character arcs, and the like. After 17 years of Stargate, It was a shame to see the franchise go out that way, not that there was anything you could have done differently.

    Reply
  5. wheatdogg Avatar
    wheatdogg

    I would buy the comic books, a graphic novel, anime, you name it! Loved this show, and I’m missing it now. I’ll probably just start from S01E01 and watch it all over again.

    Reply
  6. wheatdogg Avatar
    wheatdogg

    PS. I see Lawrence Watt-Evans in your blog list. We were classmates in uni.

    Reply
    1. Joseph Mallozzi Avatar
      Joseph Mallozzi

      “PS. I see Lawrence Watt-Evans in your blog list. We were classmates in uni.”

      Very much enjoy his work.

      Reply
  7. Mike Leeling Avatar
    Mike Leeling

    I wish someone (looking at you NoFy) would release the rights so we could try to collaborate with someone else. Perhaps Netflix would be interested if the fans around the world could donate to get Season 4 made. I mean since they don’t want it wjy are they throwing a wrench lettiing it go elsewhere? At least let us try. I would think the show would be far more attractive if whatever oulets were interested during the campaign did not have to foot all or most of the bill. If we cannot raise enough then we have no choice but wait and hope someday someone will give us closure, or more eps, but at least literally everything we could try would be.

    Reply
  8. Duptiang Avatar
    Duptiang

    Glad to hear it. I saw the Blade Runner sequel and now feeling depressed. A set back from another wise positive attitude. Keep moving forward and remember even Aristotle was in search for the good man with a purposeful life.

    Reply
  9. Christie Avatar
    Christie

    It’s just an idea that popped in my head, but would you be open to kick starting a Dark Matter Encyclopedia? Maybe there wouldn’t be enough interest for a full run of books, but I bet there are enough Dark Matter fans who would love all the behind the scenes stuff (minus the videos) into PDF format, or Kindle or whatever ebook, or paperback? Alternatively Joe, I would also purchase anything you self publish on Amazon. To hear that the cast might be up for a table reading of a future script, that really makes me smile. Thanks so much for giving the fans so much, we are so incredibly fortunate that you are so generous. I miss seeing the cast on TV, and Jodelle takes the best cosplay pictures on social media. It breaks my heart a little, but I hope everyone finds a new acting home, I look forward to following their careers.

    Reply
  10. Andrea Avatar
    Andrea

    Please do write that script, I’d love to read it 🙂 Just yesterday I was thinking, perhaps you’d like to write a book?

    Reply
  11. RazaArrows Avatar
    RazaArrows

    It must be hard to relax after having a project like Dark Matter closed up on you like that! Try not to stress too much in giving us closure. We can wait. Knowin that you want to give us closure is good enough for me and everyone else I’m sure (The script idea does sound exiting though!)
    Thanks for these BTS sequences. They’re fantastic! Great to see how everyone is when they are relaxing before n after shots. Great comaradery!
    Cheers and thank you for a great blog.

    Reply
  12. Eduardo Neuhaus Avatar
    Eduardo Neuhaus

    I think a table read of an unaired episode at a convention, if you and the cast are game, would be amazing. Even if there is a chance that said episode would later be made into a mini-series or comic book. It would keep fans engaged, even relight the flame for less enthusiastic or hopeful fans, which would help maintain their interest until (and if) any continuation in any format become a reality.

    I would love for it to be 401. But maybe to avoid the ire over spoilers from any fan hopeful to ever see that episode in any format, a more standalone story would do the job nicely.

    Reply
  13. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    Thank you for not giving up on Dark Matter and all the fans. You mentioned comic book, would an anime or a cartoon series voiced by the original cast be possible?

    Reply
  14. Drea Avatar
    Drea

    Wishing you and your family A Happy Thanksgiving. Anyone from the neighborhood joining ya at the table this year?

    Reply
  15. Richard Cullen Avatar
    Richard Cullen

    You can’t let it end where it did. I mean, for one thing, you never got to audition me for a part in the show! Seriously, though, however you get to complete the narrative, we’ll be waiting. Would be fantastic to have the same actors get to complete the tale, though.

    Reply
  16. ceresis64 Avatar
    ceresis64

    I love watching bts videos.
    The mole reveal is just as cool as when I saw it for the first time.

    Reply
  17. WebDragon Avatar
    WebDragon

    What if instead of Comic Book adaptation, you went with an animated series voiced by the actors ? You could play it straight, like the animated Star Trek series (but get away with more because the special effects budget is, well, animated as well) or play it Animatrix style, with episodes inked by different artists.

    then still play for the mini-series windup to the whole thing.

    Heck, even Riddick got an animated middle-story.

    Reply
  18. Another's Rhubarb Avatar
    Another’s Rhubarb

    A cast read-through of 401 would be fantastic, if planets align and it can happen.
    The cast of Happy Endings – also cancelled after 3 seasons – did a read-through as a reunion at a convention in January with a semi-serious script for a 401 and it worked brilliantly.
    I also like WebDragon’s idea of an animated series. All the best TV seems to be animated these days: Archer, Bobs, Bojack, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Rick&Morty, South Park, so [Zoidberg voice] why not Dark Matter?

    Reply
  19. maggiemayday Avatar
    maggiemayday

    Dark Matter is so good that somehow its heart will shine through somewhere, somehow.

    Sorry for sounding like an old hippie today. It happens.

    Reply
  20. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    Prodigy Pictures should crowdfund an anime continuation of Dark Matter. Start at one episode and do additional episodes as a stretch goal. It’d be much cheaper than doing a live action continuation and just have Funimation deal with sending out the discs etc.

    Reply
  21. Cudaker Avatar
    Cudaker

    Like some says..Don’t say too much..there is a hope for a mini serie so keep the secrets:)
    I WANT, like so many other viewers to see again on screen some new stuff from the Raza and her crew .So This can’t be ignore by those who run serioustly the entertainment world. Who will take that golden chest ?? Someone will!!
    Do what you like to do and the time is taking for relaxing .We loved what you done and you don’t IOU something, you already gave us a lot by doing DM..enjoy life,family,friends,Dogs,good food,Books meanwhile we’ll stick around with you ..The Raza crew .

    Reply
  22. Iain Avatar
    Iain

    While there is still hope of a mini-series in the future… Hold off on posting an ending or comic books. The screen is the best way for us to see what happens. Though unlikely… Hopefully someone notices how great Dark Matter was and decides to revive the series at some point!!

    Reply
  23. Sky Lynx Avatar
    Sky Lynx

    Is audiodrama an option? Doctor Who do that with original actors and new stories, it seems to work well.

    Reply
  24. MaggieL80 Avatar
    MaggieL80

    I’d love to read or hear the S4 Ep1 script! And yes, I’m still on the River of Denial…Dark Matter will rise again!

    Love the videos! The opening sequence background music reminded me of John Carpenter’s The Thing. Loved the bridge tour…very Enterprise-esque. The boys missed their calling – holding out for that S6 musical!

    I agree, today has been a wistful kind of day. Hope you have a good week ahead!

    Reply
  25. Anthony Avatar
    Anthony

    That’s fantastic. Please never give up on Dark Matter! I’ve just re-watched all three seasons again on Netflix and it got me fired up all over again. I really hope the full story will be told. I just can’t believe with the caliber of the show and such passionate fan response that there aren’t more than three other outlets lawyering up to get those preexisting agreements sorted and a reasonable deal worked out for two more seasons. So yeah, I’m still holding out for a full Season 4 and 5 pickup in the not so distant future, but maybe I’m just forever the optimist. Meanwhile, for what it’s worth, we’ll continue to poke and prod SyFy and Netflix. And as others have said and continue saying, a high production value anime continuation hopefully isn’t out of the question if that seems the best route. I think that would be amazing. Dark Matter has very strong space (Harlock, Macross) and cyberpunk (Ghost in the Shell, Lain, Armitage 3) undertones to begin with, so an anime adaptation I think would suit it very comfortably.

    Reply
  26. Dr Z Avatar
    Dr Z

    Thanks Joe
    I just want to say I’m glad you are still keen to write.Your concepts are just awesome sci fi .
    One that really impressed me was when 3 found out he was responsible for Sarah’s death, and not wanting to cope with it, gets his clone killed so he can forget. Brilliant !
    Best wishes
    Sam Z

    Reply
  27. Art Dotson Avatar
    Art Dotson

    Joe, idea. Looking at your VR bridge video, here’s a link for something similar, a recreation of Star Trek’s Enterprise-D. It’s made with the Unity engine, which is being used for a lot of video games, from Triple A (AAA) level to shovelware grade.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAM2dEEulBk

    Before you read the stuff below, I just wanted to say that if you ever got around to making an updated VR experience for the Raza, we the fans would love you for that, and it would be nice to be able to DL such a thing and tinker around the on the Raza in a simulation format. That being said…..

    So, what about exploring the possibility of making Dark Matter video games? Decide what gameplay style would suit Dark Matter (please be FPS!), then decide on the engine to make it with, then see who’d be willing to work on the project and develop it. You might even be able to fund it yourself if you can pull the funds from somewhere, and if so, you could decide how to distribute the game.

    BTW, with the hype you and the fans built up trying to save the series, corwdfunding is a very real possibility for this, if you strike it while it’s hot. The fans would probably fund this game, if the bulk of them are into video games.

    If the idea of Dark Matter as a video game series appeals to you, you could make the first game(s) retell the story of the first three seasons, but you could also expand on any parts of those episodes and stories that you might have wanted to do more with. Or add in entire episodes or plot points you never got to before. Expand on the whole story and flesh it out better than before, before moving on to the new material for season 4 and onward.

    Reply
  28. Art Dotson Avatar
    Art Dotson

    Another idea. I just found a video on Funimation talking and showing the set of the Marauder. FUnimation deals mainly with anime. What about continuing Dark Matter in animated form? If so, the budget for its production could be heavily reduced, and the scheduling for the cast would be much easier to work around. If you fit the bill for the animation to be as good as possible, it could wind up a beautiful work of art.

    Anime to look at for inspiration for just how good such a thing could be: Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, 7 episodes; Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, 12 episodes (less for setting, more for music, character development, and beautiful animation quality, if interested); Cowboy Beebop, 20+ episodes (older anime series, but more in line with the idea of a rogue-ish ship and crew, though with different themes, style and feel). Also worth mentioning are the collection of anime shorts done for The Matrix (The Animatrix), Halo (Halo Legends), and the recently released Blade Runner 2049 (Black Out 2022).

    There’s more I could recommend, but these would give you an idea of just how good an animated Dark Matter series could be, for the look, the feel, the impression of characters, ideas and themes, and the music and sound, but have all of these tooled and geared for what Dark Matter is meant to be.

    Reply
  29. Alex N Avatar
    Alex N

    Love the idea of a script and a reading! Thanks for continuing with the story, I really appreciate it.

    Reply
  30. Carol G Avatar
    Carol G

    I am sure that Dark Matter isn’t over yet. It is such a great series I was thinking this morning that FOX should have picked it up. It’s perfect for them. If it was turned into 4 movies like Star Trek which the Alien ship invasion does lend itself to a great start how would you help the new moviegoers catch up with each character’s story. I know some flashbacks, but they would have to be precise. Can you imagine little Mattel dolls of the Raza Crew and so on. It would awesome. Whatever you do, will be great. i am so grateful to that you will not give up and just go to another project but are invested in Dark Matter as much as your fans just love the series. Thanks again

    Reply
  31. James Gardner Avatar
    James Gardner

    How about talking to Netflix, they could help maybe?

    Reply
  32. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    Do not give up. There must be a channel somewhere considering the hundreds of possibilities available on air. I am amazed considering how great Dark Matter is that no one would even consider taking a chance on this show. It’s neen on for 3seasons. A fourth has to become reality. Don’t give up.

    Reply
  33. wouter Avatar
    wouter

    Thanks for your continued fight to give the fans an ending.

    A miniseries would be great, if there is any chance to go through with the original cast.

    A 401 script sounds great anyway, ending on a major cliffhanger isn’t great and this script would probably (I presume) resolve it.

    Reply
  34. donna Avatar
    donna

    Need a better ended find sister.find daughter .if android become more human.left off 28th no endings.

    Reply
  35. shinyhula Avatar
    shinyhula

    Ow, my face hurts from grinning from watching the Raza Boys Choir three times, love it! We def needed more singing on the ship.

    Reply
  36. PBMom Avatar
    PBMom

    I love this idea and I’m glad to hear you haven’t given up hope for a miniseries. Thanks for the virtual tours.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians.

    Reply
  37. Aku Avatar
    Aku

    Thanks so much for sharing these Joe, good fun to check it all out.
    The mole-reveal video is hands down the best – Alex cracked my up in it. 😀
    Cheers!

    Reply

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