January - April 2007
This page comprises archived news items from January and April 2007. You can find current news items here...

April 28th 2007
On set photo's
Various on set photos have surfaced from the shooting of the Pilot, although none feature the main cast [cast photo's on set were prohibited unless authorised by the production], they are still our first glimpse into the world of the new Bionic Woman. Check out our on-set page...

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April 25th 2007
Sackhoff comments on BW role
Katee Sackhoff attended a Battlestar Galactica panel at Grand Slam XV on Sunday April 15th, and was on-stage with fellow BG co-star Jamie Bamber. An audience member asked Katee about her role on the BW Pilot. The report goes as follows... Katee is asked to talk about her role in the upcoming remake of "The Bionic Woman". She plays the "first" bionic woman, who doesn't let anybody forget that she was the first. She is the certifiably insane, multiple-personality, nemesis of Jamie Summers. Katee describes her as being like Number Six. She wears heavy makeup, tight clothes, and stiletto heals...and Katee hates it. She called up Tricia Helfer to complain about how much her feet hurt and ask her how she manages it.

April 23rd 2007
Don't beleive a word
Contary to the below, Mike Spandoni, a radio news producer and writer in Las vegas, whilst contemplating the new Fall season on his weekly blog says of NBC's line-up "executives are reportedly upbeat about a remake of The Bionic Woman". So one word of bad press is not all doom and gloom. Let's sit tight and wait for the fall schedules in mid-May!

April 21st 2007
Early BW buzz bad?
As the networks unveil their new Falls shows next month to awaiting advertisers, early reviews are leaking out of some of the up-coming projects. Word from an un-confirmed source is that BW is getting more negative reviews at the moment than 2 of NBC's other new shows, Lipstick Jungle and Journeyman. This is early days so may just be from a rough-cut of the Pilot rather than the finished porject. Mid-May is when we should find out more. Keep your fingers crossed!

April 18th 2007
Extra report from the BW set!
Actor Mark McConchie has posted a report on his Live Journal of a days work on the BW Pilot. Apparently there were no signs post to the set.... they had all got stolen at the last location shoot! Read it...

April 14th 2007
Friday 13th.. hopefully NOT unlucky for stunt shooting!
Reports have surfaced of a stunt for the new Pilot which was shot between 12:00 and 6:00pm yesterday, Friday the 13th! HollywoodNroth report said they would be "....shooting the completion of a scene on the rooftops of the "Winters Hotel" at 203 Abbott Street and "The Lamplighter Inn" at 210 Abbott Street. The scene involves a stunt actress trying to jump from one rooftop to another. The crew will be filming the "take-off" and "landing" portions of the jump, with the remainder to be rendered in CGI animation during post-production. Production further explained that although the stunt actress 'lands' on top of the Lamplighter Inn, she slips and hangs off the roof momentarily before pulling herself up."

April 13th
Michelle talks martial arts and more
The british pop station Radio 1 recently had a 1-2 minute interview with Michelle, on their NewsBeat entertainment programme [audio], where she talks about learning Krav-Maga, the Israeli street-fighting-style martial arts for the Pilot. The fighting technique is very popular with both military and law-enforcement personnal. It doesn't always look pretty, but certainly is effective. Michelle says Jaime will also more jeans and jackets than skimpy Wonder Wonder-style costumes. Good news, huh? Here are 2 links to the official home page of the International Krav-Maga Federation and Krav-Maga Wordwide to learn more about this fighting style.

Bartender or waitress?
The Futon Critic has a summary of the BW Pilot and describes Jaime as "a Struggling as a bartender and surrogate mom to her teen-aged sister..." Still no official word on what Jaime's occupation actually is, but the Starbucks role is from the original audition script pages, so may have changed. Would it make sense for jaime to have an evening/night job if she needs to look after her younger sister? Watch this space!

April 11th 2007
First BW publicity photo's?
These 2 pictures have shown up recently, the first on the left alongisde an article about new Pilots and with an NBC copyright underneath it, the one of the right in an LA Times article on the new proposed show. Both have similarities in terms of Michelle's hair and make-up and as as far as we know have not been seen before. They certainly have a new shorter and more tousled hair-style than Michelle has previously been known for. Judge for yourself...

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April 3rd 2007
Writing for the BW today and in the 70's
The following piece appeared online recently discussing the differences of wrting for TV today, in terms of story structure and characters, as oppossed to in the 70's. There are several comments by original BW creator, writer, director, Kenneth Johnson. Read it...

NBC to promote BW via online documentary
As part of next month's upfront annual marketing presentation to advertisers, broadcast networks are preparing online content offerings, according to a TVWeek report. NBC and News Corp., which owns Fox, have partnered to launch a video site, while ABC has enhanced its video player. In addition, each of the major five networks plans to launch web features to boost online presence. NBC will make a behind-the-scenes documentary of its new show Bionic Woman available online, while CBS will enter the fray with a spinoff of Ghost Whisperer.

Michelle cuts out the pizza for new role...
Sky.com's showbiz section ran this feature on Michelle last week:

She's clinched her Hollywood break. But now it seems Michelle Ryan will be following a Hollywood diet too. Yep, before she starts filming for her new role in The Bionic Woman, she says she will have to ditch the junk food. But will she become part of the LA size 0 brigade? Not bloomin' likely, Michelle appears to have a sensible approach to her new healthy regime.She told the Daily Express: "Once I start training for the Bionic Woman role I'll have to be very sensible and start eating healthily.

"The pizzas, chips and chocolate will have to go. "Everything in moderation, as they say, but they will all have to go. "I'm sure I'll get into the organic thing straight away. "And I'll feast on sushi too." It doesn't seem she'll be obsessing about food too much - instead she may overindulge on all the eye candy on offer in Tinseltown. "When I was 16, I said I fancied Leonardo DiCaprio, Josh Hartnett, Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes. "And I was told recently that they were all single at the moment."

April 1st 2007
Michelle on talks about winning BW role
This is one of the first interviews with Michelle talking about winning the role in the series and how she has previously trained with a dialect coach for an Amrican accent, even when she was on Eastenders [video].

March 30th 2007
Moly Price in Without a Trace
Fans of the show may have seen Molly guest-starring in this week's and last week's episodes in the States, as Sam's sister. Some strong acting from Molly, especially in the second episode, and if you don't know the lady from Third Watch it's well worth catching in re-runs. See screen grabs...

March 29th 2007
BG guest star signs on for Pilot
Mark Shephard, who has just finished a 3-episode guest spot on the closing episodes of Battlestar Galactica's 3rd season as sunglasses-wearing attorney Romo Lampkin, says on his MySpace blog "Not content with providing me with Romo Lampkin - The wonderful and talented David Eick has added me to the Pilot of The Bionic Woman..." Mark will be familar to genre fans from Soldiers of Fortune Inc; V.I.P.; 24 [Day 5] and Medium amoungst other numerous TV guest roles.

March 24th 2007
Final cast members announced!
Yes, the final 2 names are in.... Well known screen actor Miguel Ferrer, of Crossing Jordan fame, has been cast in the role of Jonas Bledsoe along with Chris Bowers who will play Jaime's boyfriend, Dr. Eric Masters. With the announcement of Miguel joining the Pilot, rumours are rife as to whether his characeters will be killed off on Crossing Jordan this season [to free him up if BW is picked up as a weekly series] or whethere it is indeed the shows final seaon.

The cast now in, the Pilot is looking like it will have a varied, yet competant cast to take up the Bionic Woman's new adventures. Ferrer will bring the right weight and air of authority to the role of Jonas Bledoe the man in charge of the bionics project, Ryan, Lee and Whitman bring youthful enthusiasm, glamour and the younger audience with them, Sackhoff is perfectly cast as the insane villan of the piece and will likely bring some BG fans for the Pilot's first airing. Molly Price looks a competent aide to Bledsoe, whilst being a possible female foil/friend for Jaime. Bowers is the only unknown item amoung the otherwise recognisble cast.

March 21st 2007
Sackhoff confirmed as Sarah
Syfyportal.com confirmed yesterday that Kate Sackhoff is signed on as Sarah Corvus, the chief Bionic villan of the new Pilot. They had this to say.... "The working relationship between executive producer David Eick and actress Katee Sackhoff will definitely continue, but not the way you might think.
Sackhoff, late of "Battlestar Galactica" as the hotshot pilot Starbuck, has signed on to NBC's "Bionic Woman" remake, which is being led by BSG's Eick, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
It's not clear what Sackhoff's role would be outside of the fact that she will be an evil bionic woman. She apparently is being billed as a guest star which could mean only a one-time appearance, or possibly recurring if NBC picks the pilot up as a series"

Jonas' assistant cast?
Several sites have said that ex-Third Watch cast member Mollie Price has signed to play the role of Ruth Treadwell. No official confirmation has surfaced yet, but the actress appears to fit the role, described as a middle-aged woman, tough, with a "don't mess with me" attitude.

Filming dates revision
The latest information we have is that filming will now start next week, March 26th, and run through until April 13th, giving it a 3 week filming schedule. This may be just initial filming, and would obvously not include in additional pick-up re-shoots that amy need to be done.

March 14th 2007
Jaime's nemsis cast?
The Battlestar Galalctica borads and forums are reporting that series regular Katee Sackhoff has been cast as Sarah Corvus, the 'insane and deadly' fugitive who is top of the Jonus Beldsoe's list of Bionic escapee's. Whilst this has not been confirmed outside ofthe BG circuit, it sounds fairly credible as Sackhoff's character, Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, has just been written out of the show in the current story line. Fans are speculating that with BW shooting in Vancover, where BG is also shot, Katee could flit between the 2 shows if BW goes to a full series. Sackhoff would be superb in the role, as anyone who has followed her character's ups-and-downs on BG can confirm.'

March 7th 2007
Jaime's sister cast
Various web sites carried the news today that the young and talented teen actress Mae Whitman has been added to the cast of the BW Pilot. Most recently seen in a 2-part story on Gray's Anatomy, Mae is a reassruing addiiton to the cast.

February 23rd 2007
Further casting details annoucned!
Will Yun Lee (Thief, Threat Matrix) has come on board NBC's "The Bionic Woman." The show is a re-imagination of the 1970s series and stars Michelle Ryan in the title role. Lee will play a field leader.

New Bionic Woman Pilot announces casting call
Danielle Godard - All Headline News Staff Writer

Vancouver, BC (AHN) - The long anticipated pilot for the "re-conceptualization" of popular 70s television series "The Bionic Woman" is set to begin filming in Vancouver on March 19th.
NBC, looking for its next big primetime hit, is behind the two-hour series opener hoping to makeover the classic show and has issued a casting call on Friday for regular extras and smaller parts.
Former Eastenders star Michelle Ryan will star in the pilot, who in the first series was named Jamie Sommers.

Bionic Woman comes to Canada
canada.com

Listen up! Jaime Sommers and her super-hearing are coming to Canada.

An updated version of the late-70s series The Bionic Woman will begin production in Vancouver in mid-March, canada.com has learned.

British actress Michelle Ryan, 22, will take over the role originated by Lindsay Wagner, now 57, in an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man in 1975 and the spin-off series that ran from 1976 to 1978. The character was revived in three made-for-TV movies in the late '80s and early '90s.

Co-executive producer David Eick, whose Battlestar Galactica is also shot in Vancouver, has said the new version is "a complete reconceptualization."

In the original, Sommers was a former tennis pro employed by government agent Oscar Goldman (played by Richard Anderson, now 80) to solve crimes after she was implanted with electronic parts following a near-fatal sky diving accident. In addition to amplified hearing, Sommers has super strength in her legs and right arm.

Goldman has been replaced by Jonas Bledsoe, who resents the $50 million spent on rebuilding Sommers - this time the victim of a car accident - but decides to use her to track down others with bionic powers, including the evil Sarah Corvus. Other new characters include Bledsoe's second-in-command, Jae Kim, and the head of intelligence, Ruth Treadwell.

Michael Dinner, whose credits include episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Kidnapped, will direct the pilot.

Ryan is best known for playing Zoe Slater on the popular British series EastEnders, which airs on BBC Canada. She is currently filming the feature Flick with Faye Dunaway.

NBC Universal announced plans for an updated Bionic Woman last October and gave a green light to production of a pilot episode last month. It's not the first attempt at giving Sommers a new life, though. In 2002, USA Network said it was going to create a new series amidst rumours that Jennifer Aniston was considering the lead role.

February 19th 2007
Michelle excited about Bionic Woman
metro.co.uk

Former EastEnder Michelle Ryan thinks she "got lucky" landing the lead role in a US remake of 70s TV show The Bionic Woman.

The actress beat a host of Hollywood names to the role of Jamie Sommers, a tennis pro who suffers a near-fatal skydiving accident then is transformed with 50 million dollars of bionic wizardry.

"I have heard that there was lots of competition, but I did one sort of screen test over here, an audition on tape, and then from that I was flown out for one screen test and I got it. So, I think I was brought in towards the end and got lucky," said the brunette, who is also starring in British romantic comedy film Cashback.

Michelle, who played Zoe Slater in the BBC soap, has got her fingers crossed that the show will be a hit.

"I'm really excited. I mean, at this stage it's only a pilot so hopefully it will get picked up. I would love to go into series with it and I just can't wait to start," she said. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

February 14th 2007
Michelle is the Ryonic woman
by Colin Robertson - The Sun - Online

EX-EastEnder Michelle Ryan is to get a 50 million dollar makeover — as the Bionic Woman. Sexy Michelle, 22 — who played troubled Zoe Slater in the BBC1 soap — will star in a US remake of the classic 1970s TV show.

She beat a host of Hollywood names to land the role of Jamie Sommers — a tennis star given super-strength robotic limbs after a sky-diving accident. Michelle, who won over TV bosses at an LA audition, told The Sun: “I still can’t believe it’s happening to me. As soon as news got out, I got congratulatory texts from Shane Richie and other old mates from EastEnders"

“I’m very excited. The whole thing was quite surreal and I’m still pinching myself.”

Michelle — who quit EastEnders in 2004 — will film a pilot episode in Canada next month. And she hopes US TV channel NBC will then sign her up for a full series.

In the original, Sommers — played by Lindsay Wagner — was given amplified hearing, bionic legs, and a super-strength right arm. She became an agent for the Office of Scientific Investigations in the spin-off from The Six Million Dollar Man.

Michelle will perform martial arts in the updated “re-imagining” of the show. She said: “Hopefully it won’t be too much of a stretch for me. I did an American accent at the audition — but I’m not sure what I’ll do for the pilot itself.”

British soap star Michelle Ryan lands Bionic Woman role
by Martin Conaghan - tvsquad.com

MIchelle RyanThe Hollywood Reporter has announced that British actress Michelle Ryan has landed the role of Jaime Sommers in NBC's forthcoming remake of the Bionic Woman.

22-year-old Ryan shot to fame in the top-rated BBC soap opera Eastenders, playing troubled teenager Zoe Slater, but hasn't made much of an impact in anything else of note, which makes the casting all the more unusual.

However, she's tall and exceptionally beautiful -- in the Jennifer Garner mode -- and if she can shake off the east London accent, she may be able to convince American viewers that she truly is composed of $50million-worth of discarded computer parts.

Her controversial role in Eastenders led to her taking a leave of absence due to exhaustion, but she bounced back to complete a highly-publicized storyline involving murder, and departed the show in 2005.

As The Guardian says: "rape, incest, attempted suicide, prostitution, a fake pregnancy and even attempted murder, makes being rebuilt with bionic ear, legs and right arm sound positively pedestrian."

The original series made a star of Lindsay Wagner when it spun-off from The Six Million Dollar Man, and spawned an entire generation of youngsters running around in lethargic slow-mo movements to the sounds of a dodgy guitar feedback.

Michelle Ryan becomes The Bionic Woman
keralanext.com

Although Michelle Ryan may not be very well known in the United States, all of that is about to change as the actress best known in the UK as Zoe Slater on the hit BBC soap opera EastEnders has landed the lead role in the TV remake of The Bionic Woman.

Hollywood Reporter reveals that 22 year old British actress Michelle Ryan has snagged the lead role in an NBC remake of the classic 70's sci-fi TV hit The Bionic Woman. As reports further reveal, Michelle Ryan, who is best known in her native Britain as Zoe Slater on the long running BBC soap EastEnders will play Jaime Sommers, a woman who nearly dies in a fatal accident only to be reconstructed with $50 million dollars worth of high-tech parts.

According to Variety, Michelle Ryan beat out several big name Hollywood actresses to land the role of Bionic Woman Jaime Sommers, a role originally made famous by the lovely Lindsay Wagner. While producers of the new TV pilot have admitted the new version of The Bionic Woman will be a modern updated remake of the hit 1976 TV original, reports also reveal that the reason for selecting an unknown actress was due in part because producers felt that they wanted someone who will be a fresh face to American audiences, much in the same way that Lindsay Wagner was during the original run of The Bionic Woman.

In 2000, Michelle Ryan got her first big break on the popular BBC1 program EastEnders at the age of fifteen in the role of Zoe Slater. After putting in five years on EastEnders, Michelle Ryan left the series to pursue work in film and theatre. Ryan has since appeared on the cover of FHM magazine, and in 2005 Michelle had a part in the play Who's the Daddy by Toby Young and Lloyd Evans at the famed King's Head Theatre in London. In 2006, Michelle Ryan also appeared in an episode of Marple and the independent film, Cashback, as well as Jekyll, a modern version of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that starred James Nesbitt for the BBC. As well, Michelle Ryan was reported to have auditioned for the role to replace Billie Piper as the Doctor's companion in the new version of Doctor Who, but lost out to Freema Agyeman. Aside from The Bionic Woman, the Michelle Ryan will also be seen in the new adaptation of Mansfield Park opposite Billie Piper for ITV. An actress who’s in hot demand these days, Ryan will also play Lila in the film I Want Candy alongside Carmen Electra and Mackenzie Crook, which is scheduled for a March 23, 2007 release.

In the mid-1970’s, The Bionic Woman became a hit with fans as a spin-off of The Six Million Dollar Man, starring Lee Majors. Running on ABC from 1976 to 1978, The Bionic Woman starred Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers, a professional tennis player involved in a tragic skydiving accident. Barely surviving the fall, Jaime was rebuilt by Oscar Goldman, the same man that reconstructed The Bionic Man (Lee Majors). After the first season on ABC, The Bionic Woman jumped to NBC, where it enjoyed another season from 1977 to 1978. In total, the series produced 58 episodes. The Bionic Woman also appeared in various episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man as Steve Austin's girlfriend.

The first signs of a new television series about The Bionic Woman began back in 2002 when producers Jennifer and Suzanne Todd announced that they would be resurrecting the show on the USA network. Reports also suggested that Jennifer Aniston was being considered for the lead role, but after the original announcement nothing else came of the show until NBC/Universal announced in October 2006 that it was bringing The Bionic Woman back to life. After several rewrites of the script, The Bionic Woman TV pilot was given a green light in January 2007.

February 13th 2007
Welcome the Bionic Brit
by Colin Mahan - TV.com

Eastenders star Michelle Ryan will superjump into role of the new Bionic Woman.

NBC has cast British Michelle Ryan as the lead in the network's redo of the 1970s action series The Bionic Woman. Ryan played the bombshell Zoe Slater from 2000 to 2005 on the BBC soap Eastenders.

The Bionic Woman ran for three years, from 1976 to 1978, first on ABC then on NBC for its last season. The show, a spin-off of the hit the Six Million Dollar Man, starred Lindsay Wagner as a woman who suffers a tragic skydiving accident and is turned into a bionic crime-fighting machine.

Ryan is not the only British import taking to American airwaves this fall. Sci-fi cop show Life On Mars, saucy relationship series Football Wives, gambling dramedy Viva Blackpool!, and family animal series Wild at Heart are all getting a Yankee makeover.

BIONIC ROLE FOR EX-EASTENDER RYAN
bbc.cocuk

Former EastEnders star Michelle Ryan has landed the lead role in a remake of 1970s TV show The Bionic Woman. The 22-year-old, who played Zoe Slater in the BBC soap for five years, beat a host of Hollywood names to the role, according to industry paper Variety.

She will play Jaime Sommers, a tennis professional whose body is rebuilt with electronic parts after an accident, giving her superhuman abilities. The original show, which began in 1976, starred actress Lindsay Wagner.

The pilot show for the US network NBC, will be a "re-imagination" of the original, said the producers. The programme was a spin-off from the hit TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, starring Lee Majors. The bionic woman's limbs allowed her to outrun a car and lift heavy objects. She also had a bionic ear with enhanced powers of hearing.

Ryan has recently appeared in the British romantic comedy Cashback, and will soon be seen opposite Billie Piper in the ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.

January 30th 2007
THAT'S INFLATION FOR YOU:
Netscape.com/Celebrity

With NBC's prospective new "Bionic Woman" two-hour movie/pilot on track to begin production in March, they're still looking for the actress who'll play Jamie Sommers.

This time around, her cyborg hardware will be worth more than $50 million, we're told. You may remember when her predecessor sounded impressive as "The Six Million Dollar Man," but then, gasoline was under a dollar a gallon at the time. The new "Bionic Woman" will also have to contend with her rebellious teen sister, for whom she is sole caretaker.

And, you can be sure there will be other changes. After all, the new "Bionic Woman" is being brought to us by David Eick, the writer-producer who transformed "Battlestar Galactica" from a cheesy sci-fi also-ran into a timely, provocative, critically-lauded space drama.

January [?] 2007
IMDB Pro lists Bevin [One Tree Hill] Prince cast in the lead on the new Bionic Woman. The character is listed as the Bionic Woman, NOT Jaime Sommers. This is a possible hint the character will have a new name, not a carry-over from the original 70's series