Syfy Orders TV Pilot Based on ‘Legion’ Film

[Shotgunjim]

I loved this film... so I would def watch this but probably be let down....


Syfy Orders TV Pilot Based on ‘Legion’ Film

10 hours ago by Robert Yaniz Jr.

A TV series based on a film is always a loaded proposition, especially when the film in question relates to an established franchise. This was certainly the case with current series Hannibal and Bates Motel. However, for other lesser known films, TV can be a fresh start and provide the second chance for a first impression with audiences. Just ask Joss Whedon, as his Buffy the Vampire Slayer series far surpassed its big-screen source material.
Now it appears that Syfy will try something similar with the 2010 film Legion. The film starred Paul Bettany as the archangel Michael who arrives on Earth to face off against an invading horde of dark angels. Upon theatrical release, Legion was critically panned (read our review) but was ultimately a financial success, earning $40 million domestically against a $26 million production budget. We’d previously heard that a TV adaptation was in the works, and now Syfy has officially ordered a pilot episode.
While the film chronicled the beginning of a celestial war, the series pilot – which will be retitled Dominion – takes place 25 years into the ongoing battle between angels and humanity. The series focuses on one young soldier who discovers that he is the key to ending the war and saving the human race. Scott Stewart, co-writer and director of Legion, will direct the pilot and serves as an executive producer on the project.

Given its premise, it sounds like Dominion will use the film as a kind of prologue. In Legion, Michael was determined to protect an unborn child who was destined to save humanity. So it can easily be assumed that the protagonist of the series will follow through on that prophecy and see this child – now a young adult – grapple with his destiny and rise up to become a leader in the battle for mankind.
Legion may not have been particularly well-received, but the premise of Dominion certainly holds a lot of promise, provided that its creators can manage to develop this epic storyline over the course of a weekly series and within the limits of a television budget. Then again, shows like The Walking Dead have managed to recount humanity’s struggle to survive amidst a post-apocalyptic world to great success. So perhaps Dominion can achieve something similar.