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Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang from "Smallville" ) also stars in this, though don't ask me which character she plays because i don't have a clue.
Posted: 20:44 Jul 30 2004
"Earthsea"- New Sci-Fi Channel Miniseries
According to the interview Amanda Tapping did in Femmes Fatales magazine, she's guest starring in the new Sci-fi channel miniseries, "Earthsea", alongside Danny Glover, who is playing the Mage Ogion the Silent, and Shawn Ashmore of X-men fame, where he played Bobby Drake, aka Ice-man, is playing the young wizard, Ged.
From Femme Fatales:-
The fact that the four books are sitting oÂn a bookcase within reach of my hand as I sit at my computer should tell you how much I loved that series, I still reread it from time to time... they're great- the authors style is involving and highly imaginative, definately was the "Harry Potter" of its age. The first three books were called "Wizard of Earthsea", "The Tombs of Atuan" and "The Farthest Shore"...... there is a fourth book, "Tehanu", but that focuses more oÂn another character introduced in "The Tombs of Atuan", which is why they are probably sticking with just the first three.
This is the blurb off the back of the book, which will give you a better idea than the Sci-fi/ Hallmark publicity stuff:-
I can't wait to see this now- I certainly hope they do it justice!
*bouncebouncebounce*
Kel xx
(Oh, and thanks to Sandy for posting up the first part of this oÂn the AmandaTapping Club!)
From Femme Fatales:-
I first read "Wizard of Earthsea" when I was a kid, so that's about twenty years ago now... damn , where does the time go! I actually did my O-Level literature essay oÂn that trilogy! They've been around for a long time- first printed in 1968.
"I'm also supposed to do a small guest appearance oÂn (the SciFi Channel mini-series) EarthSea," reveals Amanda. "We're working out
the dates right now. It's all blue-screen work, and I play a goddess, kind of like Cate Blanchett in Lord of the Rings, that type of character."
Shooting schedule and publicity release:-
DATES
Shooting: 06/17/04>08/04/04
Airing:SciFi Channel mini-series "Earthsea" airing in December. The miniseries based oÂn two of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels and also stars Danny Glover. It is still in production in Vancouver, B.C. and premieres in December 2004.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Sci Fi To Develop 'Earthsea'
(Monday, May 21 10:00 PM)
The Sci Fi Channel has signed a deal with producers Lawrence Bender ("The Mexican" ) and Kevin Brown("Roswell"to create a big-budget miniseries based oÂn the first two novels of the "Earthsea" series by Ursula Le Guin, according to Variety.
The "Earthsea" books are described as "pure fantasy novels that set up a phenomenal, magical world similar to the 'Rings' trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Harry Potter novels," says Bonnie Hammer, Sci Fi's president.
"'Earthsea' is oÂne of the most influential sci-fi fantasy series ever," she adds. "You see elements of it in everything from 'Star Wars' to 'Harry Potter.' We hope to show with this miniseries why the original is still the best."
Earthsea: SFC: Mini-Series: 4hrs: The Sci-Fi Channel has given the greenlight to a four-hour mini-series titled Earthsea. Earthsea follows the tale of a reckless youth destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the mystical land of Earthsea has ever known. When the young wizard Ged discovers that he possesses infinite magical powers, he seeks to master the ancient arts. As he journeys to manhood, he will combat dragons, fall in love, cross death's threshold, and ultimately wield the power to reunite a kingdom.
Earthsea is produced by Hallmark Entertainment and Bender Brown Productions, oÂn a script from Gavin Scott. Producers for the mini- series are Robert Halmi Sr., Kevin Brown and Lawrence Bender. Earthsea is based oÂn the novel from Ursula K. Le Guin.
The fact that the four books are sitting oÂn a bookcase within reach of my hand as I sit at my computer should tell you how much I loved that series, I still reread it from time to time... they're great- the authors style is involving and highly imaginative, definately was the "Harry Potter" of its age. The first three books were called "Wizard of Earthsea", "The Tombs of Atuan" and "The Farthest Shore"...... there is a fourth book, "Tehanu", but that focuses more oÂn another character introduced in "The Tombs of Atuan", which is why they are probably sticking with just the first three.
This is the blurb off the back of the book, which will give you a better idea than the Sci-fi/ Hallmark publicity stuff:-
That they've named the wizard in the Hallmark stuff as "Ged" isn't a mistake- in the Earthsea world, knowledge of a man's true name gives you ultimate power over him- renders him unable to change form or use any magic, so they keep them secret; Ged is his true name, and Sparrowhawk is his everyday use-name.
"As long ago as forever and as far away as Selidor, there lived the dragonlord and Archmage, Sparrowhawk, the greatest of the great wizards- he who, when still a youth, met with the evil shadow-beast; he who later brought back the Ring of Erreth-Akbe from the Tombs of Atuan; and he who, as an old man, rode the mighty dragon Kalessin back from the land of the dead. And then, the legends say, Sparrowhawk entered his boat, Lookfar, turned his back oÂn land, and without wind or sail or oar moved westward over sea and out of sight."
I can't wait to see this now- I certainly hope they do it justice!
*bouncebouncebounce*
Kel xx
(Oh, and thanks to Sandy for posting up the first part of this oÂn the AmandaTapping Club!)
11 Replies and 5341 Views in Total.
Posted: 20:44 Jul 30 2004 
I think she's playing Tenar...
Posted: 22:41 Jul 30 2004 
Ooooooooh KK's in it??
Posted: 11:25 Jul 31 2004
Guess it did, yeah, LOL. This is the full cast from the imdb site... which has no mention of Amanda Tapping, intriguingly...
Shawn Ashmore .... Ged
Kristin Kreuk .... Tenar
Isabella Rossellini .... High Priestess Thar
Danny Glover .... Ogion
Sebastian Roché .... King Tygath
Chris Gauthier .... Vetch
Jennifer Calvert .... Kossil
Mark Hildreth .... Jasper
Alan Scarfe .... Archmagus
Alessandro Juliani .... Skiorch
John Tench .... General Doar
Erin Karpluk .... Diana
David Ward .... Dunain
Mark Acheson .... Gebbeth
Betty Phillips .... Marion
Katharine Isabelle .... Yarrow
Richard Side .... Doorkeeper
William Samples .... Doctor Hand
Anthony Holland .... Master Namer
Christopher Britton .... Master Summoner
Sonya Salomaa .... Head Priestess
Cedric De Souza .... Kargide Official
Alex Diakun .... Thorvald
Stephen Park .... Shepherd
Stephen Dimopoulos .... Ship's Master
R. Nelson Brown .... Master Herbal
Brad Loree .... Kargide Lieutenant
Frank C. Turner .... Farmer
Stefan Arngrim .... Shire Reeve
Christopher R. Sumpton .... Barman
Tom Heaton .... Fisherman
Paul Jamieson .... Drinker
Curtis Caravaggio .... Kargide Commander
Karen Austin .... Farmer's Wife
Ellie King .... Busty Wench
John DeSantis .... Kargide Soldier #1
Peter Williams .... Kargide Soldier #2
Peter Kent .... Kargide Officer
Michael Roselli .... Kargide Birdhandler
Brad Kelly .... Kargide Guard
Heather Laura Gray .... Penelope
Peter Kent .... The Dragon, Yevaud (voice)
Robert Lieberman is doing the directing. Peter Williams, playing a Kargide (Kargide? they're Kargad in the books) soldier, is also a sometime SG-1 regular- he played the Goa'uld system lord, Apophis.
(Edited by Kelspook 03/08/2004 19:06)
Shawn Ashmore .... Ged
Kristin Kreuk .... Tenar
Isabella Rossellini .... High Priestess Thar
Danny Glover .... Ogion
Sebastian Roché .... King Tygath
Chris Gauthier .... Vetch
Jennifer Calvert .... Kossil
Mark Hildreth .... Jasper
Alan Scarfe .... Archmagus
Alessandro Juliani .... Skiorch
John Tench .... General Doar
Erin Karpluk .... Diana
David Ward .... Dunain
Mark Acheson .... Gebbeth
Betty Phillips .... Marion
Katharine Isabelle .... Yarrow
Richard Side .... Doorkeeper
William Samples .... Doctor Hand
Anthony Holland .... Master Namer
Christopher Britton .... Master Summoner
Sonya Salomaa .... Head Priestess
Cedric De Souza .... Kargide Official
Alex Diakun .... Thorvald
Stephen Park .... Shepherd
Stephen Dimopoulos .... Ship's Master
R. Nelson Brown .... Master Herbal
Brad Loree .... Kargide Lieutenant
Frank C. Turner .... Farmer
Stefan Arngrim .... Shire Reeve
Christopher R. Sumpton .... Barman
Tom Heaton .... Fisherman
Paul Jamieson .... Drinker
Curtis Caravaggio .... Kargide Commander
Karen Austin .... Farmer's Wife
Ellie King .... Busty Wench
John DeSantis .... Kargide Soldier #1
Peter Williams .... Kargide Soldier #2
Peter Kent .... Kargide Officer
Michael Roselli .... Kargide Birdhandler
Brad Kelly .... Kargide Guard
Heather Laura Gray .... Penelope
Peter Kent .... The Dragon, Yevaud (voice)
Robert Lieberman is doing the directing. Peter Williams, playing a Kargide (Kargide? they're Kargad in the books) soldier, is also a sometime SG-1 regular- he played the Goa'uld system lord, Apophis.
(Edited by Kelspook 03/08/2004 19:06)
Posted: 19:00 Aug 03 2004
Interesting... Premieres Dec '04, I wonder if Sky will pick it up, or if we'll be forced to download it like most other things..
Posted: 19:53 Aug 03 2004
From what I've heard, Hallmark have financial involvement, so if Sky one don't pick it up, then it's possible that it'll appear on the Hallmark channel.
Failing that, it may well turn up as a two-parter on Sky movies, with an accompanying dvd release. That's what happened with the Sci-Fi channel's last miniseries offering, Battlestar Galactica. This is the more likely one, I think- Sky movies get to show the thing over and over, so they may prefer having it done this way.
Incidentally, I've spotted another Stargate guest star in there- Jennifer Calvert, who's playing Kossil, appeared as the Tok'ra council member, Ren'au, in about three episodes (Summit, Last Stand and Enemies, if I remember correctly). The thing is, she doesn't really fit the description of the character in the book. In The Tombs Of Atuan, Kossil is described as a large, heavy woman- I guess American TV's obsession with only ever putting pretty people onscreen rears it's ugly head once again....
(Edited by Kelspook 03/08/2004 21:49)
Failing that, it may well turn up as a two-parter on Sky movies, with an accompanying dvd release. That's what happened with the Sci-Fi channel's last miniseries offering, Battlestar Galactica. This is the more likely one, I think- Sky movies get to show the thing over and over, so they may prefer having it done this way.
Incidentally, I've spotted another Stargate guest star in there- Jennifer Calvert, who's playing Kossil, appeared as the Tok'ra council member, Ren'au, in about three episodes (Summit, Last Stand and Enemies, if I remember correctly). The thing is, she doesn't really fit the description of the character in the book. In The Tombs Of Atuan, Kossil is described as a large, heavy woman- I guess American TV's obsession with only ever putting pretty people onscreen rears it's ugly head once again....
(Edited by Kelspook 03/08/2004 21:49)
Posted: 21:48 Aug 03 2004
Okay, here's a bit of speculation as to Amanda Tapping's role- I had a quick read through the two books and I can only find one passage that could possibly fit what she said about the part.... did the reading over a couple of days last week, but this is the first chance I've had to post it. This passage comes from "The Tombs Of Atuan" so will probably appear in the second half of the movie, if this is the right bit.....
I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Kel xx
They often change things a little, so I guess Arha getting a nocturnal visit from a good goddess to remind her of her childhood name and set her back on the right path would still fit the spirit of the thing- I'd say that the whole "its hair was golden" certainly points to AT! Unfortunately, I'd say that it points to Amanda's part being a bit "blink and you'll miss it" which is rather a shame... Okay, okay, so I'm a great big fangirl, I can live with that, LOL.
"Tenar began to dream. She dreamt of the souls of the dead on the walls of the Painted Room, the figures like great bedraggled birds with hands and feet and faces, squatting in the dust of the dark places. They could not fly. Clay was their food and dust their drink. They were the souls of those not reborn, the ancient peoples and the unbelievers, those whom the Nameless Ones devoured. They squatted all around her in the shadows, and a faint creaking or cheeping sound came from them now and then. One of them came up quite close to her. She was afraid at first and tried to draw away, but could not move. This one had the face of a bird, not a human face; but its hair was golden, and it said in a woman's voice, 'Tenar', tenderly, softly, 'Tenar'."
I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Kel xx
Posted: 12:05 Aug 04 2004 Well, if she's playing Elfarren, then she will only be onscreen for a very small time indeed- Ged summons the ghost, it wavers there for a few seconds, then a horrible thing takes her place and attacks him. So, blink and you'll miss her. Still gonna watch it, though, lol.
Stargate SG-1 star Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col. Carter) makes a cameo appearance in SCI FI Channel's upcoming original miniseries Earthsea, the network confirmed. Tapping will play the part of Lady Elfarran, a ghost who appears to the miniseries' main character, Ged (Shawn Ashmore), early oÂn.
Tapping shot her brief appearance in July in Vancouver, B.C., working oÂn a "teeter-totter rig" that approximated the appearance of her floating in air. Her image will be inserted into the scene with visual effects in post-production. The Earthsea production team had worked out Tapping's schedule with the Stargate producers to allow her to appear in the miniseries.
Posted: 10:49 Sep 29 2004 
I Really want to see EarthSea, but I havnt read the books. I hope its good. But this is what I wanted to tell you all, no word of a lie. This past weekend at my oldest sister Tracy's wedding I met the best man for the first time(Brother in laws best friend). His name was Curits Caravaggio and he said he was an actor and said he was working Vancouver right now. So I did a little research and it took me to the hallmark site then here, but I thouht i would just tell you this i dont know why, i just wanted to.
Happy thanksgiving and Halloween.
Happy thanksgiving and Halloween.
Posted: 05:33 Oct 08 2004
Cheers, if I hadn't've seen this thread, I might not have scrolled up when I the saw the words 'A sci Fi Channel Original Series...' at the bottom of an advert on IMDB (I was looking up 'Dreamcatcher'... Damian Lewis played Jeffrey Archer, whoa! ). Turns out 'Earthsea' is on Dec 13th.
). Turns out 'Earthsea' is on Dec 13th.
Posted: 12:26 Nov 21 2004