Production on Sci Fi Channel Miniseries Taken Set to Begin

Posted on July 13, 2001

Production is set to begin in September in Vancouver on Taken, an epic, 20-hour, 10-part saga from the Sci Fi Channel, Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television, and written and executive produced by Leslie Bohem (Dante's Peak). Steve Burton (upcoming motion picture The Last Castle, General Hospital), Julie Benz (Angel) and Joel Gretsch (The Legend of Bagger Vance) have been cast, with additional cast members to be announced in the coming weeks. Steve Beers also serves as executive producer.

Taken is a sweeping, science fiction adventure that weaves together over 50 years of alien abductions into the compelling story of three families' experiences. Currently in active pre-production, the miniseries is scheduled to air during fourth quarter '02 as an original event exclusively on the Sci Fi Channel.

Steve Burton stars in Taken as Randall Keys, a World War II fighter pilot who learns that the strange lights he saw in the night sky while on a mission over Germany weren't simply ``marsh gas'' from swamps. Burton is best known for his work as Jason Morgan on General Hospital. Julie Benz -- who played Darla, the tragic vampire-turned-human, on The WB series Angel -- stars as Kate Keys, Randall's wife, who is forced to raise their son alone as Randall's struggle to cope with his abduction experience drives him further and further away from his family. Joel Gretsch, who most recently played legendary golfer Bobby Jones opposite Will Smith and Matt Damon in Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance, will star as Owen Jones, a ruthless, unscrupulous young Army officer who sees the Roswell crash as an opportunity to jump-start his career.

The Sci Fi Channel has recently broadened its scope to include a new slate of original movie and miniseries projects. Recently announced deals include Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars, A Tale of Two Cities, Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers; Clive Barker's Saint Sinner, and the 4-hour miniseries Firestarter: Rekindled, which just wrapped production. Most recently, the Channel announced two deals to adapt the works of Ursula Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness and her Earthsea Trilogy of books as well as the Ray Bradbury scripted Illustrated Man as a new feature-length film.