Merlin S5 | Televisual: Co-Creators of Merlin leave Shine
Televisual Co-creators of Merlin leave Shine to set up new indie
[click to read]Co-creators of Merlin leave Shine to set up new indie
Co-creators and executive producers of Shine Group’s Merlin - Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy - are leaving Shine to start their own production company, following the announcement that production of Merlin is being brought to a close.
The pair, who joined Shine TV in 2002, have been jointly responsible in their roles as creative directors, Shine Drama for shows including the Emmy-winning Sugar Rush (C4), Hex (Sky 1), Sinchronicity (BBC Three) and Demons (ITV).
Any future Merlin spin-offs would be produced by fellow Shine Group company Kudos in partnership with FremantleMedia Enterprises.
Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy said: “It has been a wonderful five years with Merlin and ten overall with Shine, but we have always had the ambition to branch out ourselves at some point and now feels the time to take that leap. We do so with great memories, respect and best wishes for our Shine colleagues and in the knowledge that if there were to be any subsequent adventures, the world of Camelot is in safe hands.”
Shine Group ceo Alex Mahon said: “We are understanding of Johnny and Julian wanting to try something of their own at this juncture, they do so with everybody at Shine’s best wishes after a decade of being great colleagues.”
HollywoodReporter: BBC's 'Merlin' to End After Five Seasons - Spin-off series are under consideration
[click to read]BBC's 'Merlin' to End After Five Seasons
Spin-off series are under consideration for the show, which is produced by Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine and airs on SyFy in the U.S.
LONDON - The co-creators behind hit BBC One show Merlin, starring Colin Morgan, Bradley James and Katie McGrath, are mulling spin-offs as the show draws to an end.
The fantasy-adventure show based on Arthurian legend is to call it quits on BBC One this Christmas with the climax to the fight for Camelot.
Co-creators and exec producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy said the series is bowing out at its natural climax.
The duo will exit Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine TV, the show's production banner, following the final episode to set up their own TV label.
Shine and FremantleMedia Enterprises, which handles the show internationally, are in the early stages of developing potential Merlin spinoffs based around the world created in the current show.
Any future shows would be produced by Shine’s Kudos label in partnership with FME, the duo said.
The show is a mainstay of the British broadcaster's premier channel's Saturday early evening lineup and rolls out in the U.S. on the Syfy channel.
Also starring Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson and the voice of John Hurt, the show airs in Germany via Super RTL, France's Canal Plus and Australia's Network Ten.
Capps and Murphy said: "We always felt the story of the legend was best told across five series, leading to a spectacular finale that draws on the best known elements of this much-loved story and brings to a conclusion the battle for Camelot."
BBC One controller Danny Cohen said: "I admire the creators’ decision to end Merlin on a high, but also know that we will miss it in the BBC One schedule."
Cohen said the broadcaster had ambitious plans" in play for new drama in the Saturday evening slot in 2013.
FME CEO David Ellender said possible spin-off opportunities inspired "by the brilliant reimagining of Camelot" meant exciting times.
DigitalSpy: 'Merlin' Julian Murphy Q&A: 'Any movie would be a reboot'
[click to read | no spoilers for upcoming episodes]'Merlin' Julian Murphy Q&A: 'Any movie would be a reboot'
If you've been enjoying the fifth series of Merlin so far, you'll be happy to hear that the first six episodes are now available to buy on DVD! The Merlin: Series 5, Part 1 box set also includes plenty of exclusive bonus content, with Part 2 and the Complete Series 5 DVD / Blu-Ray scheduled to follow on January 21, 2013.
Digital Spy caught up with Merlin co-creator Julian Murphy - prior to the announcement that the show is to conclude this year - and grilled him on the first half of series five. Plus, with the show nearing its end, we quizzed him on what form the proposed Merlin spinoff movies might take...
One of the biggest developments in these first six episodes has been Gwen (Angel Coulby) going over to the dark side. What inspired that storyline?
"There are legends of this - I can't actually remember where they're from, but there are various medieval stories about Gwen going to the dark side. Well, not quite going to the dark side, but being on the opposite side to Arthur - that would be more accurate - and those are the stories that inspired it.
"It's been great with Gwen this series because she's so much more an active character - we knew that was going to work well and I guess this was just a development of that. But yeah, there are legends of Guinevere and Lancelot being at odds with Arthur, so we just tapped into that and then did it our own way."
Was it also an opportunity to give Angel something different to do?
"Yeah. You know, Angel's a fantastic actress, but it does give her more to do and it does allow us to explore different sides of her character. It also allows us to explore her relationship with Arthur in a very interesting way, I think, and throw a whole relief on that which we've never seen before.
"But I think even in episodes one and two - where Gwen was very much the established Queen - we'd already seen a very different side of her and how much she'd changed."
Elyan's death was another big shock - why did you decide to kill him off?
"We'd had this band of knights together now for two series, or the best part of that, and we felt that to go through another series with nobody actually dying was not really right, and not a true reflection of reality, I suppose.
"It sort of felt right, when we took Gwen to that place, to do it immediately at that point - to turn and twist her grief. It made for more interesting drama, so that's what lay behind the decision."
Fans are debating whether Gwen's genuinely turned or is under the influence of dark magic. Will we learn the truth?
"Yes, you will. But I'm not going to tell you which it is!"
'The Dark Tower' is probably the darkest the show's ever been. Were you ever concerned about going too far?
"We're constantly aware of that, obviously - we're still a Saturday evening show, albeit one that transmits at... 8.20pm or something. We go out pretty late, and we're aware that our audience has got older and grown up with the show, as often happens in these [series].
"I think that episode was probably as close to the line as we've gone and will go, but to me, it doesn't contain things that you wouldn't see in a PG Hollywood film, and that's our deep-down guideline, really."
With Merlin (Colin Morgan) becoming a more adult character, how is that changing his relationship with Gaius (Richard Wilson)?
"It's changed it, undoubtedly. I think you'll find in the second half of this series that they do an awful lot together, but it is subtly different [to how it was before]. They're more equals and there are moments where you see Merlin's strength in relation to Gaius's vulnerability - which is very interesting and something that we've never seen before. That makes for some very nice drama in the second half of the series."
Uther also returned in series five's third episode - was it satisfying giving that character a final send-off?
"Yeah. We always intended to do that, and it was just a question of finding the moment to do it. But yes, that's been an idea for a storyline since we talked about his death, so it's always been part of the plan.
"It was a lot of fun to do. For us, it was fun to do a poltergeist episode - we've never done one of those before and it was fun and interesting to do. And actually quite scary at moments."
Arthur and Uther's relationship ended on quite a sour note. Was there ever talk of giving them a happier ending?
"No... y'know, it's interesting - in people's minds, since he died, Uther's become this figure of affection, but actually Uther was a selfish, tyrannical, dictatorial king! And he behaved that way for his entire time on Earth!
"We didn't want to sentimentalise what was the truth of Uther's character, just because his death makes people view him more fondly. It was nice to twist it back, actually."
What hints can you give about where the Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) plot is going in future episodes?
"Well, I hope everyone's very intrigued! I don't want to give hints! We've set out to portray Mordred in a genuine way, and in quite a complicated way - I hope that is starting to come across and will grow.
"We didn't want to pre-judge the character, and hopefully the audience won't either. I think Mordred is a very interesting and quite complicated figure, and hopefully the drama will bring that out."
Alexander's performance seems to have gone down well with Merlin fans, but was there any trepidation about bringing in a new actor?
"Yeah there was, but y'know what... we didn't have any choice! We couldn't tell the story with a 12 or 13-year-old - there's no story to tell. We can't tell the story of Mordred as a Knight of the Round Table - which is a very interesting part of the legend - with a 12-year-old. So we had to recast.
"I think we were lucky with Alex - we found somebody who had a little bit of [his predecessor] Asa Butterfield's quality and look, and who's also a superb actor. That was lucky and perhaps it might not have turned out so well, but I think he has given a fantastic performance and I don't think you worry about where he came from at all."
There's talk of Merlin movies and rumours that the film trilogy could be a reboot. Would you ever make films with different actors as Merlin, Arthur et al?
"There is definitely ongoing talk and work on a movie, that's true. Will it to some extent be a reboot? Yes, inevitably - any movie would be. Will it be with the same or different actors? It's miles too early to tell."
Merlin is one of the few shows that has stood up to The X Factor, with audiences of 6 to 7 million every week. Why do you think it's such a strong opponent?
"It's very interesting and it's a real credit to Merlin that it does that. I think it's because it's very, very different. The reason it works is because Merlin has a very broad, very wide audience - it's a very unusual show in that sense.
"It has a substantial audience of men over 40 and a substantial audience of teenage girls - they both watch it! That's unusual - I'm using those two groups as an example of the range of it.
"I think to take on The X Factor you need a very broad audience base, because there's obviously a large proportion of the audience who don't particularly want to watch The X Factor - there's also a large proportion that do and don't get me wrong, it's a great show.
"But to get a substantial number against it, I think it's the breadth of your audience base that will make that happen. I suppose that would be my hunch as to why it works."
DigitalSpy: Exclusive: 'Merlin' exec on new movies: "There is definitely ongoing talk"
[click to read | no spoilers]Exclusive: 'Merlin' exec on new movies: "There is definitely ongoing talk"
Merlin co-creator Julian Murphy has spoken about the planned spinoff movies.
announced today (November 26) that the BBC fantasy drama is to end after its current fifth series, but Murphy confirmed to Digital Spy that plans for a film trilogy are still gathering pace.
"There is definitely ongoing talk and work on a movie, that's true," said Murphy.
The writer/producer added that any potential cinematic version of Merlin would "inevitably" be a reboot of the TV series.
"Will it to some extent be a reboot? Yes, inevitably - any movie would be," he suggested. "[But] will it be with the same or different actors? It's miles too early to tell."
Merlin star Colin Morgan has claimed that the show will "end on its strongest point" when it concludes this Christmas.
"It's come to its highest point - it's grown and grown each year," the Irish actor said in a new video statement. "It has become darker, it has become stronger, characters have grown up, the audience has grown up with it."
Merlin Series 5, Part 1 (episodes 1-6) is released on DVD on November 26, 2012. Series 5, Part 2 and the Complete Series 5 DVD/Blu-Ray are released on January 21, 2013 on Fremantle Media Enterprises.
[click to read]Co-creators of Merlin leave Shine to set up new indie
Co-creators and executive producers of Shine Group’s Merlin - Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy - are leaving Shine to start their own production company, following the announcement that production of Merlin is being brought to a close.
The pair, who joined Shine TV in 2002, have been jointly responsible in their roles as creative directors, Shine Drama for shows including the Emmy-winning Sugar Rush (C4), Hex (Sky 1), Sinchronicity (BBC Three) and Demons (ITV).
Any future Merlin spin-offs would be produced by fellow Shine Group company Kudos in partnership with FremantleMedia Enterprises.
Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy said: “It has been a wonderful five years with Merlin and ten overall with Shine, but we have always had the ambition to branch out ourselves at some point and now feels the time to take that leap. We do so with great memories, respect and best wishes for our Shine colleagues and in the knowledge that if there were to be any subsequent adventures, the world of Camelot is in safe hands.”
Shine Group ceo Alex Mahon said: “We are understanding of Johnny and Julian wanting to try something of their own at this juncture, they do so with everybody at Shine’s best wishes after a decade of being great colleagues.”
HollywoodReporter: BBC's 'Merlin' to End After Five Seasons - Spin-off series are under consideration
[click to read]BBC's 'Merlin' to End After Five Seasons
Spin-off series are under consideration for the show, which is produced by Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine and airs on SyFy in the U.S.
LONDON - The co-creators behind hit BBC One show Merlin, starring Colin Morgan, Bradley James and Katie McGrath, are mulling spin-offs as the show draws to an end.
The fantasy-adventure show based on Arthurian legend is to call it quits on BBC One this Christmas with the climax to the fight for Camelot.
Co-creators and exec producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy said the series is bowing out at its natural climax.
The duo will exit Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine TV, the show's production banner, following the final episode to set up their own TV label.
Shine and FremantleMedia Enterprises, which handles the show internationally, are in the early stages of developing potential Merlin spinoffs based around the world created in the current show.
Any future shows would be produced by Shine’s Kudos label in partnership with FME, the duo said.
The show is a mainstay of the British broadcaster's premier channel's Saturday early evening lineup and rolls out in the U.S. on the Syfy channel.
Also starring Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson and the voice of John Hurt, the show airs in Germany via Super RTL, France's Canal Plus and Australia's Network Ten.
Capps and Murphy said: "We always felt the story of the legend was best told across five series, leading to a spectacular finale that draws on the best known elements of this much-loved story and brings to a conclusion the battle for Camelot."
BBC One controller Danny Cohen said: "I admire the creators’ decision to end Merlin on a high, but also know that we will miss it in the BBC One schedule."
Cohen said the broadcaster had ambitious plans" in play for new drama in the Saturday evening slot in 2013.
FME CEO David Ellender said possible spin-off opportunities inspired "by the brilliant reimagining of Camelot" meant exciting times.
DigitalSpy: 'Merlin' Julian Murphy Q&A: 'Any movie would be a reboot'
[click to read | no spoilers for upcoming episodes]'Merlin' Julian Murphy Q&A: 'Any movie would be a reboot'
If you've been enjoying the fifth series of Merlin so far, you'll be happy to hear that the first six episodes are now available to buy on DVD! The Merlin: Series 5, Part 1 box set also includes plenty of exclusive bonus content, with Part 2 and the Complete Series 5 DVD / Blu-Ray scheduled to follow on January 21, 2013.
Digital Spy caught up with Merlin co-creator Julian Murphy - prior to the announcement that the show is to conclude this year - and grilled him on the first half of series five. Plus, with the show nearing its end, we quizzed him on what form the proposed Merlin spinoff movies might take...
One of the biggest developments in these first six episodes has been Gwen (Angel Coulby) going over to the dark side. What inspired that storyline?
"There are legends of this - I can't actually remember where they're from, but there are various medieval stories about Gwen going to the dark side. Well, not quite going to the dark side, but being on the opposite side to Arthur - that would be more accurate - and those are the stories that inspired it.
"It's been great with Gwen this series because she's so much more an active character - we knew that was going to work well and I guess this was just a development of that. But yeah, there are legends of Guinevere and Lancelot being at odds with Arthur, so we just tapped into that and then did it our own way."
Was it also an opportunity to give Angel something different to do?
"Yeah. You know, Angel's a fantastic actress, but it does give her more to do and it does allow us to explore different sides of her character. It also allows us to explore her relationship with Arthur in a very interesting way, I think, and throw a whole relief on that which we've never seen before.
"But I think even in episodes one and two - where Gwen was very much the established Queen - we'd already seen a very different side of her and how much she'd changed."
Elyan's death was another big shock - why did you decide to kill him off?
"We'd had this band of knights together now for two series, or the best part of that, and we felt that to go through another series with nobody actually dying was not really right, and not a true reflection of reality, I suppose.
"It sort of felt right, when we took Gwen to that place, to do it immediately at that point - to turn and twist her grief. It made for more interesting drama, so that's what lay behind the decision."
Fans are debating whether Gwen's genuinely turned or is under the influence of dark magic. Will we learn the truth?
"Yes, you will. But I'm not going to tell you which it is!"
'The Dark Tower' is probably the darkest the show's ever been. Were you ever concerned about going too far?
"We're constantly aware of that, obviously - we're still a Saturday evening show, albeit one that transmits at... 8.20pm or something. We go out pretty late, and we're aware that our audience has got older and grown up with the show, as often happens in these [series].
"I think that episode was probably as close to the line as we've gone and will go, but to me, it doesn't contain things that you wouldn't see in a PG Hollywood film, and that's our deep-down guideline, really."
With Merlin (Colin Morgan) becoming a more adult character, how is that changing his relationship with Gaius (Richard Wilson)?
"It's changed it, undoubtedly. I think you'll find in the second half of this series that they do an awful lot together, but it is subtly different [to how it was before]. They're more equals and there are moments where you see Merlin's strength in relation to Gaius's vulnerability - which is very interesting and something that we've never seen before. That makes for some very nice drama in the second half of the series."
Uther also returned in series five's third episode - was it satisfying giving that character a final send-off?
"Yeah. We always intended to do that, and it was just a question of finding the moment to do it. But yes, that's been an idea for a storyline since we talked about his death, so it's always been part of the plan.
"It was a lot of fun to do. For us, it was fun to do a poltergeist episode - we've never done one of those before and it was fun and interesting to do. And actually quite scary at moments."
Arthur and Uther's relationship ended on quite a sour note. Was there ever talk of giving them a happier ending?
"No... y'know, it's interesting - in people's minds, since he died, Uther's become this figure of affection, but actually Uther was a selfish, tyrannical, dictatorial king! And he behaved that way for his entire time on Earth!
"We didn't want to sentimentalise what was the truth of Uther's character, just because his death makes people view him more fondly. It was nice to twist it back, actually."
What hints can you give about where the Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) plot is going in future episodes?
"Well, I hope everyone's very intrigued! I don't want to give hints! We've set out to portray Mordred in a genuine way, and in quite a complicated way - I hope that is starting to come across and will grow.
"We didn't want to pre-judge the character, and hopefully the audience won't either. I think Mordred is a very interesting and quite complicated figure, and hopefully the drama will bring that out."
Alexander's performance seems to have gone down well with Merlin fans, but was there any trepidation about bringing in a new actor?
"Yeah there was, but y'know what... we didn't have any choice! We couldn't tell the story with a 12 or 13-year-old - there's no story to tell. We can't tell the story of Mordred as a Knight of the Round Table - which is a very interesting part of the legend - with a 12-year-old. So we had to recast.
"I think we were lucky with Alex - we found somebody who had a little bit of [his predecessor] Asa Butterfield's quality and look, and who's also a superb actor. That was lucky and perhaps it might not have turned out so well, but I think he has given a fantastic performance and I don't think you worry about where he came from at all."
There's talk of Merlin movies and rumours that the film trilogy could be a reboot. Would you ever make films with different actors as Merlin, Arthur et al?
"There is definitely ongoing talk and work on a movie, that's true. Will it to some extent be a reboot? Yes, inevitably - any movie would be. Will it be with the same or different actors? It's miles too early to tell."
Merlin is one of the few shows that has stood up to The X Factor, with audiences of 6 to 7 million every week. Why do you think it's such a strong opponent?
"It's very interesting and it's a real credit to Merlin that it does that. I think it's because it's very, very different. The reason it works is because Merlin has a very broad, very wide audience - it's a very unusual show in that sense.
"It has a substantial audience of men over 40 and a substantial audience of teenage girls - they both watch it! That's unusual - I'm using those two groups as an example of the range of it.
"I think to take on The X Factor you need a very broad audience base, because there's obviously a large proportion of the audience who don't particularly want to watch The X Factor - there's also a large proportion that do and don't get me wrong, it's a great show.
"But to get a substantial number against it, I think it's the breadth of your audience base that will make that happen. I suppose that would be my hunch as to why it works."
DigitalSpy: Exclusive: 'Merlin' exec on new movies: "There is definitely ongoing talk"
[click to read | no spoilers]Exclusive: 'Merlin' exec on new movies: "There is definitely ongoing talk"
Merlin co-creator Julian Murphy has spoken about the planned spinoff movies.
announced today (November 26) that the BBC fantasy drama is to end after its current fifth series, but Murphy confirmed to Digital Spy that plans for a film trilogy are still gathering pace.
"There is definitely ongoing talk and work on a movie, that's true," said Murphy.
The writer/producer added that any potential cinematic version of Merlin would "inevitably" be a reboot of the TV series.
"Will it to some extent be a reboot? Yes, inevitably - any movie would be," he suggested. "[But] will it be with the same or different actors? It's miles too early to tell."
Merlin star Colin Morgan has claimed that the show will "end on its strongest point" when it concludes this Christmas.
"It's come to its highest point - it's grown and grown each year," the Irish actor said in a new video statement. "It has become darker, it has become stronger, characters have grown up, the audience has grown up with it."
Merlin Series 5, Part 1 (episodes 1-6) is released on DVD on November 26, 2012. Series 5, Part 2 and the Complete Series 5 DVD/Blu-Ray are released on January 21, 2013 on Fremantle Media Enterprises.