TV News: SyFy Casts Riverworld and Phantom for Fall Premiere

The newly dubbed SyFy channel is gearing up for Fall, which from the outside looking in seems to be a big season for them with a lot of new programming hitting the schedule. Stargate fans already await the 2 hour premiere of SGU. But newly branded company designed to stream original programming outside the realm of trekkies, trekkers and gateheads is gearing up a few TV movie pilots in hopes of series to follow.

We reported a month ago that SyFy was gearing of for 3 new TV movie pilots circulating around Riverworld - the critically acclaimed book series, The Phantom - the legendary comic series and a Alice in Wonderland Retelling.

Battlestar Galactica/Dollhouse’s veteran Tahmoh Penikett and Smallville’s Supergirl, Laura Vandervoort will star in Riverworld, a fantasy series based on the acclaimed novel series by Philip Jose Farmer.

Penikett is best known for playing Helo on BSG but he is also making a name as Agent Ballard on Fox’s Dollhouse series.

Riverworld is about a photojournalist Matt Ellman (Penikett) who along with his fiancee (Vandervoort) is transported to a mysterious world after dying and they discover it is occupied by everyone who has ever lived on Earth. SyFy believes this project is the best of the 3 and the one most likely to get a series pick-up. Alan Cumming is set to guest star as the Caretaker; Jeananne Goossen and Mark Deklin also have been cast.

[Source: THR]

Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives) has been cast as the Phantom. In Phantom Carnes will play Kit Walker, the well-known comic book hero, and Isabella Rossellini will guest star as the villainous Lithia, who is overseeing a mind-control experiment. Additional Phantom cast members include Cameron Goodman and Sandrine Holt.

[Source: THR]