|
Gerry
Anderson Productions - 1980 to 2024
|
|
|
c.1980 - Operation
Shockwave
Feature
film - scripted by Gerry Anderson
A
spy thriller which was never completed due to withdrawal of
financial backing as shooting started
c.1980 - Five Star Five
Feature film scripted
by Gerry Anderson and Tony Barwick
Producers:
Gerry Anderson / Sidney RoseDirector: John Guillermin
A
science fiction film which went into pre-production but was
never shot due to lack of finance
1981 - Super Space Theatre
3 x 93
minute edited combinations
ITC
produced three Thunderbird features under this general heading
made up from different TV episodes with similar storylines.
They were transmitted by U.S. syndicated stations and cable TV
companies, eventually being released on video
in the mid-eighties by Channel 5 Video.
Thunderbirds
To The Rescue ( Trapped In The Sky / Operation Crash Dive )
Thunderbirds In Outer Space ( Sun Probe / Ricochet )
Countdown To Disaster ( Terror In New York City / Atlantic Inferno
)
1983 - Terrahawks
Produced by Anderson
Burr pictures in association with London Weekend Television
39 x 25 min episodes
in 2 series of 26 and 13First transmitted: Sunday
9th October 1983
Created and
produced by Gerry Anderson
Scripted by
Gerry Anderson and Tony BarwickExecutive Producer: Christopher
Burr
The
year is 2024 and the NASA Martian Expedition base has been destroyed
by alien craft which then head towards Earth. Earth protectors
- The Terrahawks - led by Dr. Tiger Ninestein and Sergeant Major
Zero assisted by his zeroid robots pit their wits against Zelda,
Imperial Queen of the planet Guk, a witch-like android who can
control the nature of matter.
Terrahawks
at SFXB
Produced
by the newly-formed Anderson Burr pictures at Bray studios,
this was a return to puppetry, but now it was Supermacromation
- puppetry without strings. The series also featured another
futuristic Rolls-Royce. Called H.U.D.S.O.N., it was chameleon
in character.
c.1984T-Force
A
larger, re-vamped version of Thunderbirds which was being planned
by Gerry Anderson in association with Steven Begg.
It included a change of base with larger, more versatile rescue
vehicles and Lady Penelope was to be given a pink Porsche
instead of the Rolls Royce. Finance for the project proved to
be unobtainable.
1986 - Space Police (Star Laws)
Anderson Burr
Pictures
1 x 52 minute pilot
episode scripted by Tony Barwick
Produced by
Gerry AndersonAssociate Producer: Bob Bell
After
15 years as a New York policeman, Lieutenant Chuck Brogan is
appointed to command Space Police precinct 44 East, based aboard
a space station orbiting the planet ZarXL5. The crew comprised
himself, policewoman Cathy Costello (Catherine Chevalier) and
a trio of cat-like aliens known as Tom, Dick and Harry, working
for an intergalactic police corps fighting organised crime.
Part
live action, part puppetry, this was clearly a forerunner of
Space Precinct. In order to be able to travel to the surface
of the planet, Cathy had to transform her face into 'Siliconide'
- which made her easier to 'puppetise'. The series was never
made due to the untimely death of Jim Henson, who had shown
an interest in it, and the subsequent lack of backing as the
company changed ownership.
1987 - Dick Spanner
An Anderson Burr
production in association with Channel 4
22 x 6 minute episodesFirst transmitted: 3rd May 1987
Directed by
Steven Begg and Terry AdlamCreative Supervision by
Gerry Anderson
Starring Shane Rimmer
as Dick Spanner
A
robot-like wisecracking private detective conducts his investigations
in a surreal parallel universe where anything,
literally, can and does frequently happen in the most bizarre
ways.
Two
stories were presented in 11 segments each:
The Case Of The Human Cannon Ball and The Case Of
The Maltese Parrot
This was Gerry Anderson's first completely stop-motion animation
production which was later re-edited into four 25 minute shows.
The Anderson-Burr partnership had, in fact, been dissolved before
the production of this show. It was screened on Sunday
lunchtimes as part of a programme called Network 7, aimed at
teenage viewers and was eventually sold to BSkyB.
1987 - Royal Bank of Scotland
Producing
for The Moving Picture Company on behalf of the Royal Bank of
Scotland, Gerry Anderson made this
strange advert featuring matchstick-like people. This won the
advertising industry's Silver Arrow award.
1989
- Space Police (Star Laws)
An
edited, 25 minute version of the 1986 52 minute pilot episode.
1990 - Parker's Day Off
(Swinton Insurance)
Produced
and Directed by Gerry Anderson
This
was made as an advert for Swinton Insurance. It starred the original
puppet model of Parker ( piloting Thunderbird 2! )
and featured some innovative driving by Lady Penelope in FAB1,
both of which were rebuilt specially for the story.
1991
- 'Calling Elvis' - Dire Straits
Directed by Steve
Barron / Gerry Anderson
A
four minute music video starring Dire Straits both live and
in puppet form a la Thunderbirds, promoting their single 'Calling
Elvis'.
Gerry Anderson directed the 'Thunderbirds' segment which took
twelve weeks to make.
Original Thunderbirds sequences were accompanied by the new
footage and live action shots of the band,
and featured the M.C. Parker single 'Thunderbirds Are Go' on
MTV in a remix of the original series theme tune.
1993 - G.F.I. (Warming Warning)
Gosh! / Inimitable
1 pilot episode
x 25 minutesExecutive Producers: Gerry Anderson and Adam
J.Shaw
Produced by
Bob McKieDirected by Phil Littler
Another
look at the T-Force idea resulted in its redevelopment as a
cell-animated series originally called G-Force but ending up
as G.F.I. ( Gee Force Intergalactic ). As a rapid response unit
for the United Planets, G Force Intergalactic combats major
crime and large scale disasters, operating from Star City, a
secret base hidden beneath the surface of an asteroid orbiting
the Myson system.
13
episodes were drafted, some into full scripts, but only one
episode was made ( Warming Warning ), partly in Moscow. The
series was cancelled due to the Russian animation being of comparatively
poor quality and reshoot costs proved to be prohibitive.
1994 - Space Precinct
Gerry Anderson
productions / Mentorn Films / Grove Television (GTV)
24 x 45 minute episodesFirst transmitted: 27th May 1995
Produced by
Gerry AndersonExecutive Producer: Tom GutteridgeLine Producer: Tom Sachs
Digital effects
by The Magic Camera Company
The
year is 2024. Human, Creon and Tarn police officers form the
staff of precinct 88, keeping law and order in Demeter City
on the planet Altor. Lt.Patrick Brogan (Ted Shackleford) and
Officer Jackson Haldane (Rob Youngblood) always seem to find
the most trouble.
This
was the most expensive sci-fi series ever produced in the U.K.
Although an obvious evolution of Space Police, the name had
to be changed due to a copyright conflict with a Lego toy. Now
an all-live action show, all the scenes had to be re-shot, the
live scenes being done at Pinewood and digital effects at Shepperton
using special machines called Lightworks which allowed much
wider editing/cutting possibilities. The financer, Grove Television,
only just managed to fulfil its commitment before going into
liquidation. Originally aimed at adults, it was eventually screened
on BBC2 at 6 p.m.
1994 - Thunderbirds U.S.A.
13 x
23 minute edited episodes
ITC
announced a live action Thunderbirds movie to be in development,
planned for release around Christmas 1995. To pave the way for
this, 13 of the original TV episodes were cut down to 23 minutes
running time ( 30 minutes including adverts ) and broadcast on
the American Fox Kids network as 'Thunderbirds U.S.A.' with new
voice-overs and 'up to date' dialogue.
The movie failed to materialise as ITC were sold to Polygram in
1995.
1996 - Lavender Castle
CPI / Gerry Anderson
Productions / Cosgrove Hall
26 x 10 minute episodesFirst transmitted: 7th January 1999
Produced by
Gerry AndersonExecutive producers: Craig Hemmings and Brian
Cosgrove
Line Producer:
Chris Bowden
The
adventures of Captain Thrice and the crew of the starship Paradox
while on their quest to find the legendary
Lavender Castle - a floating city deep in space supposed to
be the greatest source of power in the universe.
They must find it before the evil Doctor Agon who intends to
destroy it!
Made
at Cosgrove Hall using computer digital animation. Stories written
by Pauline Fisk and music by rock legend Rick Wakeman.
Gerry
Anderson's official biography, "Gerry Anderson: The Authorised
Biography" written by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls,
was published by Legend Books (a division of Random House) in
1996, and a paperback edition was published the following year.
"What Made Thunderbirds Go!", a new updated and expanded
edition of the biography,
written by Marcus Hearn and Simon Archer, was published by BBC
Books in 2024.
2000.....
and beyond....
2000
- Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds returned to BBC2 for the first time in eight years
starting 5th September 2024. It occupied an early evening weekend
slot and featured the whole 32 episode series which had been digitally
re-mastered by Carlton International with full stereo sound and
a lot less visible strings. It was, of course, accompanied by
a huge new range of merchandise for Christmas 2024, consisting
of over 100 different items including an upgraded version of the
highly successful 'Tracy Island' toy with new sound technology
features.
2001
Recognition
In
June 2024 Gerry Anderson was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order
of the British Empire) for services to animation.
2001
- Playstation
A
game release was planned for Playstation 2 in 2024 in which
Gerry Anderson and other 'real' people would feature as part
of the International Rescue team alongside the regular puppet
characters. He
has recently been developing a live-action SF series, Eternity,
and an anime series, FireStorm, with a leading Japanese animation
production company
2003/05
- New Captain Scarlet
Anderson
Entertainment/Gerry Anderson Productions/The Indestructible Production
Company
26 episodes
of 25 minutes
Executive Producer: Toby Ricketts Producer:
Gerry Anderson
Line Producer: Mark Sherwood Associate Producer: Gary
Donohoe CGI Producer: Ron Thornton
Supervising
Director: David Lane Directors: David
Lane, Mark Woollard & Dominic Lavery
Writers: Phil Ford, John Brown & Brian Finch Music
by Crispin Merrell
Editor: Andy Walter Production Designer: Mark
Harris Conceptual Artist: Dominic Lavery
Indestructible
Spectrum agent Captain Scarlet is Earth's best defence in a war
of nerves against the Mysterons from Mars and their instrument
of destruction, former Spectrum agent Captain Black. The first
two episodes are a “two-parter” where it is explained how Captain
Scarlet becomes indestructible and how Captain Black is taken
over by the Mysterons after a mission to Mars. Women are now positioned
in their rightful, equal place in society doing jobs that men
used to do so Lieutenant Green is now a woman, working with Colonel
White, in control of all the operational activities on Spectrum
'Skybase'. Captain Ochre is now a woman too, although most other
favourite characters remain the same.
Created in Hypermarionation - a sophisticated form of CGI animation
- currently in production at Pinewood Studios and due for completion
in 2024 - employs the absolute latest computer graphics imaging
(CGI) animation techniques. At the conclusion of production on
the first 26 episodes, it will be the most expensive family entertainment
series ever created, with a budget of over $30 million.
Gerry Anderson Productions (GAP) Plc is the production company
set up in the UK by Margetts Fund Management in 2024 to raise
funds for and to produce 'New Captain Scarlet'. It is, in itself,
the single most successful fund-raising of its type for film or
television production in UK history.
2003
- Regor The Rescue Dog
Childrens Book series, published by Reynolds
& Hearn
Published in December 2024 ( possibly originally created c.1996)
'Regor To The Rescue' 'Buried Alive'
Stories about a dog with sophisticated rescue equipment.
. . . and The
Future?
Anderson Entertainment also has two other shows in pre-production:
' Regor the Rescue Dog' and 'A Christmas Miracle' and is exploring
the possibility of exploiting the back catalogue. Granada Ventures
are the licensees for all of Gerry Anderson's original shows.
Another live-action show - 'Eternity' - is also under discussion
|
|
|