In what should be great news for any fans of Battlestar Galactica and MMO online games, it was announced yesterday by NBC Universal that a massively multiplayer game based on the popular sci-fi tv series is in the works. The game will be powered by the Unity engine, which is the same technology used by EA’s browser-based Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, and will lunch later this year.

According to the announcement, the game will be client-free, browser based and pack “state of the art graphics.” Norwegian studio Artplant, who’s previous work includes Riding Club Championships, is handling development for the game. Regarding actual details about the game itself, here’s what it known so far:

“Players will be able to choose to play as cylons or humans in a constant struggle to control the universe or just survive its perils. A blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay will provide a diverse experience. The dramatic missions will define the game’s overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe.

Battlestar Galactica Online will create a new standard for web games, with beautiful 3d graphics and innovative game mechanics bringing a new level of game play to browser based MMOG. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience.”

The game will launch worldwide this Fall exclusively on Syfy.com for 30 days and then will be published by content provider Bigpoint.

With the second episode airing last Friday on SyFy, things have been picking up quite a lot for the first season of Caprica, the prequel spin off of Battlestar Galactica. Many of us remember the events that took place in the pilot, which hit DVD shelves back in April, and now things are underway for a whole season of action, drama and cylons.

One star in particular has been stirring up some buzz on the web, as Alessandra Torresani’s provocative photo shoot has been circulating around. We got the chance to sit down with star Alessandra, who plays “Zoe”, at New York’s Big Apple Convention. We spoke about her role on the show, how much more we’ll get to see of “Zoe”, and what Alessandra’s plans are now that she’s been introduced to the world of science fiction.

Check out our exclusive interview after the jump, and be sure to catch Alessandra and the rest of the Caprica on SyFy, every Friday night.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, following his recent role in Dollhouse and the feature Big Fan, comedian Patton Oswalt is now joining the cast of Syfy’s upcoming drama series Caprica as a recurring character. According to the article, on the Battlestar Galactica prequel, Oswalt “will play Baxter Sarno, a popular Caprican comedian and talk show host on whose show Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson), ultimately appear.”

As this character was not in the original two hour pilot, obviously as the show is currently filming in Vancouver, the producers felt they needed some sort of recurring character like this to provide some overall context to events unfolding after the first Cylon has taken its first steps. Oswalt is a pretty good choice for this type of role where his humor and somewhat abrasive style can take center stage and provide that context and commentary. Should be interesting to see what he makes of the role.

Oswalt joins a cast which already includes the aforementioned Eric Stoltz and Paula Malcomson and also includes Esai Morales, Sasha Roiz, Polly Walker and the recently announced Luciana Carro. Caprica debuts on SyFy on January 22, 2010.

Last week on The Flickcast, Chris and Matt jumped into full Comic-Con preview mode to discuss all the great things at the Con like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the Tron reboot, Torchwood: Children of Earth, Iron Man 2 and how fun it is to say the word “Hufflepuff” while doing a British accent.

This time around, the boys are live at Comic-Con in San Diego and have a special guest on the show, writer/producer Mark Verheiden, who’s many credits include Smallville, Time Cop, Battlestar Galactica and Heroes. Among the topics covered are how Comic-Con has changed over the years, the status of Mark’s various other projects like Ark and Quatermaine, the end of Battlestar Galactica and what, exactly, Starbuck really was.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques or offers of sponsorship, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter and at Facebook, MySpace or via email. Thanks for listening.

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The network formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel has now “officially” set the date for the first episode of Caprica to premiere on that network. According to the network that we shall now refer to as Syfy, that date is Jan. 22 and as we are big fans of the show around here, we could not be more enthusiastic.

However, in case you’re not quite as big a fan of the show as we are, here’s a little info by way of backstory. Caprica is a prequel to the award-winning Battlestar Galactica, which just concluded its fourth and final season on March 20. The Caprica storyline predates BSG by 58 years and leads up through the creation of the Cylons, the war and the near annihilation of the human race.

The two hour pilot, which was written by Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by Jeffrey Reiner, was completed last year, already aired on the network and has dropped on DVD. Syfy has ordered an additional 20 hours in addition to the pilot but its not known at the moment if they will split the order into two seasons.

Production on brand new episodes began July 15 in Vancouver. Caprica, which features Esai Morales, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker and is exec. produced by Ron Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson, will air at 10/9C on Friday nights.

Edward James Olmos is a a man whose career has spanned over thirty years. During that time he’s played quite a diverse set of characters and also managed to find time to write, produce and direct some movies as well. Recently, Olmos starred as Admiral William Adama in the critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica.

In the time since BSG concluded its run on the Sci-Fi Channel, Olmos has been busy directing The Plan, a TV movie that tells the BSG story form the perspective of the Cylons. I caught up with Olmos during press for The Plan at the San Diego Comic-Con. Among the topics covered were that Olmos has been working on BSG non-stop until very recently, how proud he is of BSG, that The Plan will both surprise and inspire BSG fans everywhere and how Blade Runner started it all.

QUESTION: How was it, once you finished the show, coming back and doing The Plan?

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS: I never stopped. Matter of fact, I never had a wrap. I never wrapped Battlestar Galactica.  I didn’t wrap it until 4 days ago, I finally finished (The Plan) and you guys are gonna, if you really have fans of the show you guys are gonna be very very happy.

Q: Can you tell us why?

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Writer and producer Jane Espenson has written, or co-written, episodes of some of the most popular and successful TV shows in recent memory. Getting her start on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Espenson also worked on hugely popular shows such as Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and one of the most celebrated series ever on TV, Battlestar Galactica.

More recently, Espenson has written for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, wrote the BSG TV movie The Plan and she is now Executive Producer on the upcoming BSG prequel series Caprica. Recently, I had an opportunity to talk with Espenson about, among other things, The Plan, Caprica, Dollhouse budget cuts and the move to the internet from traditional media.

CHRIS ULLRICH: What can you tell us about The Plan? It supposedly shows Battlestar Galactica entirely from the Cylon perspective, correct?

JANE ESPENSON: Technically, that’s correct, but perhaps misleading. It shows events from the series from the POV of two very specific Cylons, not from the point of view of them as a group.

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As we may have said once or twice before here at The Flickcast, we really like Battlestar Galactica. Sadly, the original series has come to an end. However, as sad as that is, we at least have Caprica and the TV movie The Plan to look forward to.

Speaking of The Plan, which premieres later this year, Universal as just given us the scoop that they will be releaseing a Blu-day version of The Plan on October 27, the same day they drop the standard-def DVD.

Here’s the info from the official press release:

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A few weeks ago we showed you Grace Park discussing the upcoming BSG TV movie The Plan. Then, a bit more about The Plan was revealed when we went to a special panel discussion in Hollywood with some of the cast and producers of Battlestar Galactica. Now, thanks to Collider, we’ve got more video to share with you about The Plan and some other stuff as well.

This time around its an interview with Battlestar Galactica alumni and The Plan director Edward James Olmos. He was interviewed at the recent Saturn Awards, which took place last week in Hollywod. Among the things Olmos reveals in the interview are that The Plan will make fans want to go back and watch the entire BSG series again with a new awareness of what was going on with the Cylons, that the final script for BSG was “one of the finest scripts he’s ever read” and that he will be at Comic-Con this year in appreciation for all the fans who supported BSG.

The video doesn’t exactly dig deep or provide much in the way of new information. Still, its fun to see Olmos and hear him talk about The Plan and his work on BSG. He’s a talented, introspective and obviously grateful man who’s made a lasting impression on the history of television. Unfortunately, watching him talk about BSG just makes me miss the show that much more.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan airs later this year on Sci-Fi Channel. Check out the video after the jump.

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While we sincerely appreciate our pals at Galactica Sitrep for taking the time to patiently wait with their video camera pointed at the tv screen to catch another clip of The Plan, the upcoming tv movie telling BSG’s story from the Cylon side, we’re glad Sci-Fi has seen fit to release the clip so we can all watch it in better quality. Still, we love your dedication guys, don’t ever change.

This new clip showcases the acting of Dean Stockwell as Cavil as he talks to Ellen Tigh during the time when Cylons were attacking the fleet every “33 minutes” in the original series season one episode. Its a good clip and makes me want to see the entire movie even more. Its a shame we have to wait until November.

How about it Sci-Fi, want to send over a screener copy like right frakkin now? Be your best friend.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan airs on Sci-Fi Channel in November. Check out the clip after the break.

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