“Dark Matter” sends Syfy back into space June 12. The new series, from “Stargate” franchise executive producers/writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, debuts just a week before the network’s other new space opera, “Killjoys.”
The action-packed official trailer for “Dark Matter” dropped Friday and shows the confused crew aboard a derelict space ship as they struggle to figure out who they are or how they got on board.
“Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets,” Syfy says.
That might be a bit overwrought, but the clip does suggest this will be a wild ride during the 13-episode first season. Mallozzi and Mullie have based the series on their graphic novel of the same name from Dark Horse Comics.
Cast members include Melissa O’Neil (“Les Miserables” on Broadway), Marc Bendavid (“Bitten”), Anthony Lemke (“White House Down”), Alex Mallari Jr. (“Robocop”) and Jodelle Ferland (“Twilight”) with Roger Cross (“The Strain”) and Zoie Palmer (“Lost Girl”).
Because the crew members don’t know their names, they use numbers. Bendavid plays the skeptical “One,” who learns that “Four,” played by Mallari Jr., does know how to handle katana swords. “Three,” played by Lemke, goes for more mechanized weapons. O’Neil plays “Two,” apparently a natural-born leader even when she’s suffering from amnesia. “Six,” played by Cross, also gravitates to what he knows—flying their ship.
The series’ biggest departures from the comic appears to be “Five,” played by Ferland, and “The Android,” played by Palmer. In the series, “Five” begins unlocking pieces of her memories before any of the others just like in the comic. “we’re dangerous,” she says in the trailer. In the comic, the character is a young boy who also possesses some scary medical knowledge. Palmer’s character, “The Android,” also changes sex from comic to series. Still, she knows a thing or two about hand-to-hand combat.
Mallozzi and Mullie will serve as executive producers along with Jay Firestone and Vanessa Piazza of Prodigy Pictures. The series will be distributed internationally by Endemol Worldwide Distribution. “Dark Matter” joins Syfy’s stable of acquired international and domestic co-productions including “Lost Girl” from Prodigy Pictures, as well as “Z Nation,” “Bitten,” “Continuum” and “Olympus.”
The “Dark Matter” journey begins at 9 p.m. June 12 on Syfy. “Killjoys” launches at 8 p.m. June 19. For more upcoming Syfy series, click this link.