Ben Browder Turns SF Noir Detective
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Former Farscape and Stargate hero to go all Rick Dekkard on us in a new web series called Naught For Hire
Here’s an intriguing-sounding project that seems to have so far slipped under the radar (and thanks to our mates at Geek Syndicate for tipping us off). Farscape and Stargate SG-1 ’s Ben Browder is set to star as Nick Naught, a noir -style detective in a 13-part web series called Naught For Hire , set in 2030. Naught is, apparently, an analogue guy in a digital world
Based on a book John E Stith, it’s being adapted for the web by Jeffrey Berman (not the same one from Kids In The Hall ), and also stars Buffy ’s Juliet Landau, Deep Space Nine ’s Chase Masterson and Cleopatra 2525 ’s Jennifer Sky.
A lighthearted sci-fi romp in the style of ’30s noir movies, with each episode ending on a cliffhanger, Naught For Hire is about a detective who has issues with modern technology, including a car that is in love with him, an elevator that won’t cooperate and an answering machine that wants to do nothing but pull pranks on him.
The series is bring filmed this summer, but as yet there is no broadcast date set. “We have a great team attached to the series who are brimming with plans to market the series when the time is right,” says Berman , “so I can’t say too much about it just yet, but I like to think that if you put out a good product an audience will find it. What’s great about a project like Naught for Hire is that it appeals to a large demographic. By airing it on the web we don’t have to worry about a niche broadcast channel that only airs Science Fiction or Comedy or Drama. We can allow the story to dictate those choices and not a network.”
Neither is he singing canary about what direction the plot will take: “Let me just say that Naught’s first case is only the tip of a larger story that we’re already mapping out. My advice would be to keep watching our website for updates, photos and insider info. So, in the vernacular of the old Hollywood serials, Stay Tuned, because the best is yet to come.”
Learn more at the show’s website and Twitter update.
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Got to admit, it sounds like the kind of role Browder would be perfect for.
Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.