PINK KHAKI - The Stargate SG-1 Webzine. Not official. But kewl.

Department for Investigations

Michael Shanks'
new
fantasy adventure "Sumuru"

by The Doc

BARBARELLA, XENA - SUMURU?

CREDITS:

Authors:
Director:

CAST:
Sumuru:
Adam Wade:
Jake Carpenter:
Dove:

.

Peter Jobin & Torsten Dewi
Darrell James Roodt

Alexandra Kamp
Michael Shanks
Terence Bridgett
Casey B.

SPACE
SHIPS!
BLASTERS!
GIANT SNAKES!
OH MY!

Queen Sumuru
picture courtesy by AZ - 25.11.02

Michael Shanks seems to have put the last twelve month of his "Stargate" leave-cum-hiatus to good use. Those who have followed his work know he's done quite a couple of TV productions as well as a good bit of travelling. None of his projects, however, were prone to give him the chance to really show his acting skills or his talent for comedy. He didn't feature once as the lead, and just when I was about to worry he might head for the Eddie-Murphy-trap ("Always play in bad movies so people will say you've been the best thing in it and remember you!"), the news he'd been casted as the male lead in a fantasy movie and possible new series called "Sumuru" got out.

I admit: when the first plot sheet for “Sumuru” landed on my desk, I groaned, and was close to banging my head on the keyboard. Aw shucks, I thought, don’t tell me Michael Shanks wants to avoid sci-fi typecasting by playing one of two astronauts who end up on a faraway planet which is ruled by amazons and where men slave away in the mines and are used for mating reasons! That's the kind of story you find in fan fics. But, as Torsten Dewi, co-author of "Sumuru" so eloquently puts it: "It's not supposed to be 'Matrix'".

"Sumuru" is supposed to be entertainment in the tradition of Barbarella, Xena the Warrior Princess and Planet of the Apes. A very ambitious project, and pretty big shoes to fill!

Here's the plot as we know it:

Two astronauts, Adam Wade (Michael Shanks) and Jake Carpenter (Terence Bridgett), land on a faraway planet that was colonized centuries ago, but cut off from the rest of the galaxy when all communication broke down. Expecting to find a hoard of ragtag colonists, imagine Jake's and Adam's surprise when they are attacked by a clan of warrior women!

On this jungle planet, women are the ruling class. They follow the orders of beautiful Queen Sumuru (Alexandra Kamp), and worship a snake goddess. Except for the task of mating, men are forced to work in the mines, and are sometimes sacrificed to appease the snake goddess (no, NOT Hathor, folks!) when she shakes the ground. Only Jake and Adam realize that the shakes are earthquakes - the planet is about to break apart.

Popcorn or Golden Raspberry?

Reading the plot for a sci-fi or fantasy movie does not tell much about the quality of the actual production. More than any other genres, these movies live on visual effects, and if you're not blessed with a vivid imagination (mine is equal to that of a mole), it's easy to brush off a story as 'cheesy' - I remember well how I howled when I first read about a TV show where “a flighty teenage girl learns that she is her generation's destined battler of vampires”, and I was convinced this would be the flop of the decade. Of course I was wrong – “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is still going strong, and rightly so.

Not to mention James Spader, who stated about his role as Daniel Jackson in "Stargate - the movie" something in the terms that he just had to do the movie as "the script was so bad".

A movie like "Sumuru" can go two ways: woohoo or boohoo. Woohoo if those involved manage not to take themselves and the movie too serious. A lack in big budget (though "Sumuru" can comfortably work with $ 3.5) can often be equaled by a healthy dose of irony, and what made the "Hercules" series so charming weren't two-headed dragons or SFX in the first place, but the twinkle in Kevin Sorbo's eyes and the humour which carried the show.(OK. His sleeveless vest wasn't bad, either). Torsten Dewi, co-author of "Sumuru":

So ... what to expect?

There's definitely potential in the story. Alexandra Kamp as "Sumuru" will be allowed to be more than just eye-candy and long-legged decoration, surprising with her knowledge and natural authority. Dewi: "Sumuru is a proud, beautiful, and strong leader. She is better educated and liberal than you would give her credit for at first glance. She can hold her own in any situation." Michael Shanks, on the other hand, has a good sense of humour, and one of the reasons he got casted as Dr. Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG-1 was, that the people in charge saw “he could do comedy”. Now, “Sumuru” luckily allows him some irony. He definitely won't be the "damsell in distress", waiting to be rescued by others - he is the hero, despite failing at this task at times. You can expect some "catfights" and hurt/comfort; add the banter between Adam and Jake, and you absolutely have potential for a TV show.

"This is not even loosely based on Sax Rohmer's novels. It's a fantasy adventure set on another planet where two astronauts discover a tribe of beautiful women (and yes, we have heard the "Planet of the Babes" joke already). It's tongue in cheek, action-packed, and fun. It's not supposed to be Matrix."

Dewi did even smuggle in a Stargate SG-1 reference, alas, minor setback there: since a small scene in the beginning was scrapped (Jake and Adam inside the wrecked shuttle), this reference was lost (after they crash land, Adam originally says "Man, there's GOT to be an easier way to travel from one planet to the next!"). But I could bet there's still a lot in "Sumuru" which will make Stargate fans chuckle - and not only them!

DON'T MESS WITH DOVE

Beside Michael Shanks, Alexandra Kamp (who I don't know much about) and Terence Bridgett, Casey B, who plays Sumuru's body guard "Dove", is definitely worth a few lines.

Casey is actually an accomplished martial artist (repesented South Africa in 5 tournaments for Karate), has a successfull music career (nominated for the South African Music Award in 2001), and was voted "South Africa's sexiest woman" by FHM magazine. Check out her very informative and easy to navigate website. (It's pink. So it suits this magazine!)

It's good to see South African actors among the cast. Maybe the situation is different outside of Europe, but here, we have absolutely no idea what's happening on South African TV screens. The country is still a white spot on the entertainment map, and certainly South Africa's support for international productions is a good way to open up some doors for their actors and actresses.

Terence Bridgett, who plays Adam's buddy Jake, won the AVANTI award for best supporting actor in a TV series, and has quite a few musicals to his credit.

Director Darrell James Roodt isn't an unknown, either. He's directed movies like "Cry, the beloved Country" and "Sarafina!".

picture taken from
official website

Michael Shanks as Adam Wade

Beside trying to convince these Amazons that men have more worth than being mere slaves, our two heroes have to find a way to evacuate the planet, and a hidden cave might just hold the key to their escape. As they search for the spaceship that brought the colonists to this planet hundred of years before, Adam and the beautiful Sumuru not only discover their love for each other (now didn't we just *know* it!), but also what the cult of the snake is really based on - a hideous creature living underground!

Queen Sumuru (Alexandra Kamp) and her loyal bodyguard Dove (Casey B.)

"Sumuru" promises to be a very entertaining movie - fast, witty, with action and lots of fun. Crew and cast stand behind this project with enormous enthusiasm, and especially in Torsten Dewi's case you can say that somebody wrote on the script who *knows* the genre he writes about. He's a fan himself, so he knows what the fans like. From all we heard, the crew had an absolute blast on the set, and I would be very surprised if this enthusiasm didn't transfer on the finished movie. And there will be a 40 m long SNAKE, folks! Who could ask for more! ;-)

Dewi: "The production has wrapped, I have just seen the final dailies (including the shower scene - oh la la!) - it looks terrific. Michael sports a goatee, and yes - he wears not that much in terms of upper body wear."

Good to hear - don't we all like to dip our toes in shallow water once in a while?

The location in South Africa promises some fresh and interesting background, not just another "Unknown Planet" which looks like the woods in British Columbia. The first press release contented some pictures of the location, and it looked terrific.

Another point which shouldn't be ignored is the involment of the German companies - this might not be known over the pond, but the german movie and TV industry is *good*. Some great stuff was produced in Germany, so don't underestimate the people doing this flick, especially in the SFX department the german movie industry as has some awesome professionals to offer. "Das Werk", responsible for the SFX in "Sumuru", has been previously involved in movies like "One Way Out" with John Belushi, the British success movie "Bend it like Beckham" and Roland Emmerich's "Arac Attack".

Sumuru is in definitely a movie to look forward to if you, like me, got a knack for movies which want to entertain, not change the world. "Popcorn" movies - I love them! 1 1/2 hours of fun and action filled escapism with a bit of romance - and a 40 m long snake! THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! I can't wait for Summer 2003!

The movie was in the can by late November, with post production finishing in early spring 2003. The broadcaster gets his master tape in April. For more information, please read our

INTERVIEW WITH TORSTEN DEWI

This article and the interview will soon be up on Shanksadelic, where you'll also find a German version, plus additional information as it becomes available.
(c) Pink Khaki and Shanksadelic

We'd like to thank the following people for their help with the "Sumuru" coverage: Torsten Dewi, The LA Canuck Mafia and Petra. Consider yourselves hugged!

Michael Shanks as Adam Wade