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NBC Gets Shaking on '10.5' Sequel

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

10:01 AM PT

The team behind "10.5" has reassembled to once again disassemble the North American continent.

Filming on "10.5: Apocalypse," the sequel to NBC's successful 2004 disaster miniseries, began last week in Montreal, with Kim Delaney, Beau Bridges and David Cubitt reprising their roles and the same behind-the-camera team in place as well. There's no official word on an airdate yet, but given the start date, "Apocalypse" could possibly be ready to go by November sweeps.

"We are shooting this sequel on digital, which is allowing us to achieve a whole new level of visual effects and style that have heretofore not been seen on network television," writer-director John Lafia says. "Also, the actors flocking to the project is very rewarding to me personally and shows their faith in the material."

In addition to the three returning cast members, "10.5: Apocalypse" will also feature Frank Langella ("Unscripted," "Superman Returns"), Carlos Bernard ("24"), Carly Pope ("Popular"), Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon ("Eyes"), Dean Cain ("The Perfect Husband"), Melissa Sue Anderson ("Little House on the Prairie," "Earthquake in New York") and Barbara Eve Harris ("ER," "36 Hours to Die").

The sequel will pick up following the events of the first miniseries, where a series of massive earthquakes laid ruin to much of the West Coast. When seismic activity resumes, the president (Bridges) again calls on maverick seismologist Samantha Hill (Delaney) to assess the threat.

She comes up with a theory based on a long-discredited hypothesis of her father's (Langella) which, if true, could wreak even more havoc.

The original "10.5," which aired in May 2004, was a hit for NBC, averaging better than 20 million viewers over its two nights. Howard Braunstein, Michael Jaffe and Gary Pearl, who executive produced the miniseries, are serving in the same capacity for the sequel.