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GLOBAL FREQUENCY: Miranda Zero Was Made Flesh Tuesday!!

I am – Hercules!!

“Global Frequency,” the WB’s TV version of Warren Ellis’ completely amazing comic book series, is a reality. A kind of sci-fi version of “24,” it completed its first day of principal photography Tuesday in Vancouver, “mostly with Michelle Forbes in her first turn as Miranda Zero,” according to someone with an excellent view.

A lot of news emerged between today and San Diego’s Comic Con two weeks ago.

The sad news? The WB never did agree to test “Buffy” vet Amber Benson to play female lead Katrina Finch. The role went to blonde TV star Jenni Baird, already a veteran of three short-lived Australian series. She joins:
* male lead Josh Hopkins (currently a recurring character on “North Shore”) as quick thinking ex-cop Sean Ronin,
*Forbes (“Homicide: Life on the Street," "24”) as Global Frequency mastermind Zero, and
*sitcom cutie Aimee Garcia (“Greetings From Tuscon,” “All About the Andersons”), who long ago nabbed the plumb role of Frequency go-to teen Aleph

The fantastic news? Warren Ellis himself will be enormously involved with the TV show. Producers John Rogers and Mark Burnett are flying Warren into Vancouver today (Wednesday) “to oversee production,” according to Rogers. Ellis will be writing at least one of the first 13 episodes, and hopefully more. And directing them too, if I had anything to say about it.

The tremendous news? Comedy genius “Tick” mastermind Ben Edlund, fresh from his stellar stint helping to write the final, best season of “Angel,” has joined “Global Frequency” as a writer-producer and will be authoring the new series’ third episode. Joining Ellis, Rogers and Edlund in the writers’ room are:
* cartoon guy David Slack (“Jackie Chan Adventures,” “Max Steel,” “Teen Titans”) and
* “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” vet Diego Gutierrez, who wrote the Buffster’s sixth-season “Normal Again” teleplay before moving on the “Dawson’s Creek,” “The Shield” and “Kingpin.”

The bad news? There are about eight months between us and that footage of Michelle Forbes taking charge. Current plans call for the WB to launch the series in March.

To (mostly) recap, here’s where the former Buffiverse writers have landed so far:
Jeff Bell (Joss Whedon’s co-writer on the spectacular “Angel” series finale) is headed to “Alias.”
Liz Craft & Sarah Fain (they scripted Hamilton’s introduction in the five-star “Underneath”) have been asked to join “The Shield.”
Steve DeKnight (he co-scripted the hilarious Italy-set “Angel”) is headed to “Smallville.”
Ben Edlund (whose “Angel” work includes “Life of the Party,” “Time Bomb”), is aboard “Global Freqency.”
Jane Espenson (“Earshot,” “The Replacement,” “I Was Made To Love You”), who worked on both “The O.C.” and “Gilmore Girls” last year, is joining “Tru Calling” as part of her two-year deal with Fox.
Brent Fletcher, who wrote an episode of “Angel” last season titled “Soul Purpose,” has joined the “Lost” staff.
David Fury (“Gone,” “Lies My Parents Told Me,” “You’re Welcome,” “Power Play”) has also signed aboard “Lost.”
Drew Goddard (DeKnight’s co-writer on “The Girl in Question”) is headed to “Alias.”
Drew Z. Greenberg (“Him,” “The Killer in Me,” “Empty Places”), who was scripting “Smallville” last season, is joining “The O.C.”
Diego Gutierrez, who wrote the mental-institution episode of “Buffy” during its sixth season, has joined the “Global Frequency” staff.
Rebecca Kirshner (“Help,” “Touched”), a "Freaks & Geeks" vet who was on “Las Vegas” this season, is joining “Gilmore Girls.”
Tim Minear, who followed his wonderful “Angel” season-four finale with the wonderful “Wonderfalls,” is adapting a classic Robert Heinlein novel to the big screen.
Doug Petrie ("As You Were," "End of Days"), who worked on both "Tru Calling" and an aborted "Lost in Space" series for the WB this season, is said to be taking the year off from TV next season to work on movie projects (Petrie, some will recall, wrote "Harriet the Spy" and drafted an early screenplay for "The Fantastic Four").
Buffiverse mastermind Joss Whedon, who wrote more “Angel” teleplays this season than ever before, is directing the big-screen “Firefly” movie, “Serenity.”
If you, constant reader, have heard of any employment motion among the other Buffiverse writer-types, drop us a line. For this just-concluding season David Greenwalt was at “Jake 2.0,” Marti Noxon at (the still unaired Fox drama) “Still Life,” and Mere Smith at “Tarzan.”





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