Rhune
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The Next Action Star
« on: Sep 12th, 2002, 9:32am » |
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HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Look out, Vin Diesel. Joel Silver, producer of such action movie franchises as "The Matrix" and "Lethal Weapon," has partnered with NBC in an attempt to find "The Next Action Star."
The 10-episode reality series will follow producers as they hold a casting search to find potential male and female stars with "that indefinable 'it' factor." The winners will star in a Silver-produced NBC TV movie, tentatively titled "Hit Me." Silver will serve as an executive producer of the series, which is targeting a likely summer 2003 launch.
"Uncovering new talent is a fascinating process and we are excited to share this experience with the public," Silver said.
"Next Action Star" represents a slight change of pace for NBC's reality department, which until now has mostly focused on stand-alone contests such as "Fear Factor." Those close-ended shows perform well, particularly in repeats (unlike serialized reality shows), but lack the pop culture phenomenon quality of an "American Idol" or "Survivor."
"Obviously we've had plenty of success with 'Dog Eat Dog' and 'Fear Factor,' so I like the action genre for reality," said Jeff Gaspin, NBC's executive VP of alternative series, longform and program strategy.
The series will kick off with a nationwide hunt for prospective stars, who will eventually be narrowed down to 12 finalists. The contestants will then move to Hollywood, where they'll be given acting, training and combat lessons in addition to receiving "star treatment" (such as limos and fancy clothes). Contestants will be eliminated at the end of each episode after competing in a series of stunt action sequences.
The final winners -- one man, one woman -- will star in the "Hit Me" picture, which will also double as "The Next Action Star's" series finale.
"When you write the handbook for reality TV, this show has all the elements," Gaspin said. "It has the vote-off, the contestant search, the close living quarters."
A number of details are still being ironed out, such as whether the show will include an at-home voting element. Additional episodes may also go behind the scenes of the movie's production. As part of the televised search, the producers also hope to showcase a major feature casting director and find a big name to direct the movie.
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