10 Things You Didnt Know About The Cancelled Series Terra Nova

10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Cancelled Series Terra Nova

Terra Nova had the potential to be one of the biggest shows of the decade. Sadly, it failed and we were left with lots of questions.

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First airing in 2011, fans had high hopes for the sci-fi dinosaur adventure series, Terra Nova. Set in the future where Earth was slowly dying due to pollution and overcrowding, it followed the story of the Shannon family as they were transported 85 million years in Earth’s past, to live among a human colony set on building a new civilization.

With a massive budget, high profile actors, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, it had the potential to become one of the most iconic and memorable shows of the 2010s. Unfortunately, the series never even made it past its first season. Yet, there are still tons of interesting things about the show.

10 It Was Originally Called “Gondwanaland Highway”

The original script for the show was penned by British screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who called it Gondwanaland Highway. This was based on a conversation with her father, who had been telling her about how Earth was once a giant landmass called Gondwanaland, while he was also reading a Stephen Hawking book about time travel.

At the time, Marcel had recently watched Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Therefore, using all of these ideas, she came up with the show’s premise. Thankfully, the series went for a more simple and eye-catching title.

9 The Show Had A Lot Of Problems Early On

The first bout of troubles with the show started long before a single scene was even filmed. Firstly, Marcel along with Craig Silverstein, who helped her write the pilot, both left. Marcel left because the show was so far from her original idea while Silverstein left after his series Nikita was picked up.

Then executive producer David Fury, best known for his work on 24 and Lost left the show due to creative differences with showrunner Brannon Braga. All of this, combined with the fact that the show went through two writing staffs and that their casting period took too long, meant that the show incurred a $660 000 charge due to its delayed production.

8 Spielberg Refused To Shoot In Hawaii

Set 85 million years in Earth’s past, the show needed a unique location to film in and Hawaii, with its green and beautiful landscape, seemed like the perfect place.

However, Spielberg vetoed Hawaii out of fear that the show would have been compared to Jurassic Park. Although Florida, New Zealand, and Louisiana were also considered, the production was moved to Australia. Sadly, this decision signaled the end of the show as filming in Australia proved to be very expensive.

7 The Show Cost $4 Million Per Episode

As one of the most expensive shows ever made, it cost around $4 million per episode, except for the two-hour pilot which had a whopping budget of $20 million. Incredibly, the show’s budget equated to roughly $200 000 for every minute.

Most of that budget went into filming in Australia, the elaborate sets, and the expensive CGI. Sadly, in the end, Fox could no longer justify such a large budget and was therefore forced to cancel the show.

6 All 13 Episodes Were Filmed Together

Normally, shows film their pilot first and then wait for the series to be picked up. Yet, due to the filming in Australia, it would have been too expensive for the show to shut down and wait for production to start again.

Therefore the show’s 13 episodes were filmed together. Unfortunately, the series was criticized for its poor writing. Therefore, if they could have spent more time after the pilot in development, especially with the exit of Marcel and Silverstein, it could have lasted a lot longer.

5 Stephen Lang Was Handpicked By Spielberg

One of the biggest names to star on the show was Avatar’s, Stephen Lang. He had the right no-nonsense yet enduring demeanor that made him perfect for the role of Commander Nathaniel Taylor.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Spielberg handpicked Lang himself for the role and he became the first person cast on the show.

4 The Show Had Never Before Seen Dinosaurs

The show had some unique dinosaurs and this was in part thanks to paleontology expert Jack Horner. Horner, who had also worked on Jurassic Park, set the show in the Cretaceous period, where folks only know about a tenth of the dinosaurs that existed at the time.

This cleverly allowed the show to have a mix of well-known dinosaurs but also some that no one had ever seen before, like the Slashers or Acceraptors in the pilot. Importantly, these dinosaurs had a certain realism to them as Horner helped to develop these dinosaurs’ probable appearance and behavior. Sadly, the show’s often terrible CGI meant that fans never got to properly enjoy the intricacy and thought that was put into these animals.

3 Netflix Was Set To Rescue It But Then Didn’t

In early March 2012, it became clear that Fox was no longer interested in making Terra Nova after the high costs and production difficulties of season one. The show was still relatively successful so it was no surprise that other networks like Syfy started showing interest in picking up the show.

Netflix got the furthest in the discussions and they were even willing to move production to Hawaii in order to further cut costs. Unfortunately, after weeks of talks, nothing came to pass and the show was officially canned.

2 Fans Mailed In Plastic Dinosaurs To Save The Show

After Terra Nova was officially canceled, fans tried their best to get the show running again. One of these ways involved sending plastic dinosaurs to Fox, in particular to Kevin Reilly, the then network’s chairman of entertainment.Stars of the show, like Jason O’Mara who played the leading role of Jim Shannon, also got involved in the action. The campaign was meant to draw attention to how popular the show was and sadly, nothing ever came of it.

1 Season Two Would Have Had Super Intelligent Dinosaurs

Although the potential for a second season was always precarious, the writers had already outlined some ideas for the second season. According to Brannon Braga, the colony would have encountered a new breed of highly intelligent dinosaurs.

Also, the story as a whole would have gotten a lot darker as Commander Taylor would have started to lose his mind and a battle of control between him and Jim Shannon would have ensued.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/terra-nova-unknown-facts-series/

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