Bryan Singer Lending His Name To 2012 Prophecy Mini-Series

SyFy have announced a new six-hour miniseries about the Mayan doomsday prophecies. Bryan Singer will be the executive producer while the screenplay will come courtesy of Michaels Bond and Petroni. I love you, Mr. Singer, but is your name in the executive producer field really any indication of quality? I'm not so sure.

I'll post Singer's statement and a network created blurb after the break, and then whinge about them a bit. What happened to Logan's Run? What happened to You Want Me to Kill You? Why can't we have Man of Steel?

Here's something from the official announcement:

A thrilling action-adventure story blending scientific fact and myth with popular conspiracy theories centering on the Mayan calendar and what it predicts for mankind at its end date. With a feel of Da Vinci Code and National Treasure, it tells the story of a down-on-his-luck author/professor who goes on a worldwide adventure to uncover the mysteries surrounding the Mayan calendar and the potential apocalypse it seems to have predicted centuries ago. With an unlikely team, he races against time to prevent global catastrophe, and in doing so ultimately rediscovers his faith in humanity and himself.

I prefer my scientific fact neat and uncut, without all that other gibberish, thanks. And the 'feel' of the Da Vinci Code was the 'feel' of a hernia. I think we could all do without that.

Now, Bryan Singer's statement:

I have always been fascinated by the various myths and conspiracy theories surrounding the Mayan calendar. It's the most accurate calendar created by man, so accurate that many believe its origins may lie elsewhere. Regardless of what you believe, what is truly mysterious about this is that a number of cultures and religions, including Hinduism, all point toward a period of great upheaval which happens to coincide with the final month and year marked by the calendar. Our story will explore whether we are truly alone in the universe, and other related mysteries, all of which are set against the backdrop of an incredibly exciting and fast-paced adventure.

Let's be honest, we aren't 'alone in the universe,' as per the Drake Equation, but there's still no need for silly mumbo jumbo. At least Singer seems to be indicating his skepticism.

Singer's greatest success in TV is House MD, for which he is also an E-Prod and directed the paradigm-setting pilot. I'd argue that it remains the best TV show on US TV despite some hideously slow-motion struggles with a petrifying formula, surviving largely through an incredible central performance, super-sharp scripting and a dedication to rationality and reason.

That this mini-series will roll in the wake of Roland Emmerich's big-screen 2012 movie is actually rather sad. It makes SyFy look somehwat desperate, a feeling I think is cemented by their other big mini-series set for the end of this year (a version of Alice in Wonderland from Tin Man director Nick Willing).