SyFy launches SyFy Films, bringing movies to the silver screen.... Oh boy!

Syfy launches Syfy Films, but won't catapult 'Mega Shark' to the big screen. Aw, why not?

As an unyielding fan of all Syfy films, no matter how insufferable they may be (Megaquake, Ice Twisters, the list goes on… ), I became inappropriately excited when I read this morning that the network would be teaming with Universal to create Syfy Films. The new company, according to Variety, would “develop Syfy-branded content for the big screen.”
Great! thought optimistic me. There are too few films in the multiplex like Piranha 3D, so it would be beyond fun to watch a film like Mega Piranha battle the Alexandre Aja flick for bad-movie supremacy in the theaters. But it seems it was too much to ask for what could be, oh, the greatest scene in all TV movies to jump onto big screens. Because, apparently, Syfy films will support a higher breed of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films. “The budget for these films would be higher than our TV movies, so [they will ] not [be] of the same ilk,” a rep from the network told EW.
According to a Wall Street Journal article about the new production company, the budget on any given SyFy Film flick could reach as high as $25 million (or as low as $5 million). And we can indeed expect something more highbrow than Sharktopus: Syfy President Dave Howe told the WSJ that the production arm intends to produce films akin to the low-budget-yet-highly-successful District 9. After all, the network is home to plenty of quality programming that doesn’t involve monstrous, blood-thirsty creatures whose only weakness appears to be bad CGI. (See: Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Caprica… )
Okay, I could settle for a District 9-esque feature. But can it involve at least one prehistoric lizard brought to life? Please?!

Wow even they know their TV movies are crap lol.

Even they know their TV movies serve an audience.

In the epic battle between Mansquito and Sharktopus, there can be no winners.

N0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000!

It will be Golan-Globus ALL over again!

I lost all faith in SyFy long before the name change.
Bonnie Hammer is an idiot.

Al

Well, at least RiffTrax and Cinematic Titanic will have plenty of ammo.

"what could possibly go wrong?"

This is great news for garbage movies, and terrible actors everywhere.

As a fan of both, I'm also excited.

AdamNightmare said:

---

This is great news for garbage movies, and terrible actors everywhere.

Thanks, man! That made me LOL.

Lorenzo Lamas read this article and started making cash register noises...


They are good escapism movies but I am never sitting through Giant Shark Vs MegaOctopus on the big screen unless I'm threatened with death, or theres a very very very sexy woman dragging me there.

Forsaken said:

---

I lost all faith in SyFy long before the name change.
Bonnie Hammer is an idiot.

Al

Good thing she doesn't run it anymore, then?

I like low budget movies but for some reason the ones they make just do nothing for me. I'd rather go find a Roger corman film.

Can't be any worse than what's already on offer, right?

Larry Young said:

---

Good thing she doesn't run it anymore, then?

Yes I know Hammer left.
But I just felt compelled to throw that in the mix.

Al

Actually I heard she got promoted to run USA. She's the one who moved every show to a new night a couple years ago.

She's actually president of NBC/Universal's cable division. She may not know SF very well, but she's certainly not an idiot.

“The budget for these films would be higher than our TV movies, so [they will ] not [be] of the same ilk,” a rep from the network told EW.

You know, "ilk" is often the sound I make on the rare occasions I watch one of their tv movies.

Larry Young said:

---

but she's certainly not an idiot.

That is going take some proof.

Al

I don't watch this stuff for free, why would I pay for it.

Although I do occasionally watch one for fun.

Woah boy! This is craziness! Their first movie- Wrestling.

So that's why they canned SG:U today... so they could divert it's budget to forming a crap movie company.

Who gives them the money to do this stuff?

Anyone who tunes in. Well, indirectly, at least. Advertisers. Investors too, I suppose.

So does mean I can finally see Mansquito 3 in 3D? That would be, like, totally awesome.