Change At The Top For 'Alcatraz'
Pilot writer out as showrunner for new J.J. Abrams series
Fox's upcoming midseason drama "Alcatraz" is getting a rough start.
Two weeks after the network halted production on the series temporarily, it appears there are new people in charge of the time-traveling "Prison Break" style show.
Elizabeth Sarnoff, a co-creator of the show who wrote the successful pilot, is out as show runner, and even out as an active member of the crew. She'll be replaced by Jennifer Johnson and Daniel Pyne, both who joined the production following the pilot. Fox didn't give a reason, according to Deadline.com, except the standard old "creative differences."
Johnson was the creator of the short-lived NBC series "Chase," and joined "Alcatraz" as a consulting producer after Fox picked the series up. She was an executive producer for "Cold Case" on CBS, and was a co-producer for "Lost" in its early days.
Pyne, however, got his start in television with shows like "Matt Houston" and "Miami Vice" in the 1980s. He later moved on to films, writing the screenplay for "Doc Hollywood" in the early 1990s, and moving on to more serious fare like "Any Given Sunday" in 1999 and "The Manchurian Candidate" in 2004.
It's not clear what happened with Sarnoff, who was celebrated this past fall as one of the few female television showrunners on this year's programming schedule. Sarnoff has written and produced shows like "Deadwood," "Lost" and "Crossing Jordan." She was an executive producer of "Lost" in its final season, and then co-created "Alcatraz" with Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt.
Although Sarnoff is off the series, she will maintain screen credits as a co-creator and as an executive consultant.
Seven episodes of the series have been filmed, but recent weeks before the work stoppage focused on reshoots. With the new showrunner at the helm, production is expected to resume soon, likely after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Fox has not yet announced its midseason schedule, but both "Alcatraz" and "Touch" from Kiefer Sutherland were being considered for the Monday 9 p.m. slot currently held by "House."
"Alcatraz" stars "Lost" alum Jorge Garcia, Sarah Jones and Jeffrey Pierce.
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