Métal Hurlant Chronicles

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Métal Hurlant Chronicles
MétalHurlantChronicles.jpg
TV poster
GenreScience fiction, action, thriller, adventure, fantasy
Created byJean-Pierre Dionnet (Métal Hurlant)
Developed by
Written by
Directed byGuillaume Lubrano
Starring
Narrated byBenoît Allemane (French)
Theme music composerJesper Kyd
Country of originFrance and Belgium
Original languagesEnglish, French
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Producers
  • Justine Veillot
  • Guillaume Lubrano
Production locationRomania
CinematographyMatthieu Misiraca
Editors
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time26 minutes
Production companies
DistributorPanini Group
Release
Original networkFrance 4
Picture formatHDTV
Audio formatSurround
First shown inFrance
Original release27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) –
12 May 2014 (2014-05-12)
External links
Official Website (French)

Métal Hurlant Chronicles is an English-language Franco-Belgian television science fiction anthology series based on the popular comics anthology magazine Métal Hurlant, known in the United States as Heavy Metal. Each episode is a self-contained story taking place on a different planet with a different cast, and the episodes are linked together only by the idea that an asteroid, the "Métal Hurlant", passes the planet in question during the events of the story. The show's premise originated with Guillaume Lubrano, who put together a self-financed pilot to pitch the show, which was broadcast as the series' third episode. Lubrano and Justine Veillot produce the show through their company WE Productions. It was largely filmed in Bucharest, Romania.

The series premiered on French television on 27 October 2012 on France 4. Broadcast rights for various European countries such as Germany, Austria, Luxembourg were bought by Sony Pictures Television.[1]

Plot[]

As an anthology series, each episode is a self-contained science-fiction story taking place in a different world, with different characters played by a different cast and adapted from a story previously published in the Métal Hurlant magazine. However, the show also proposes that all the stories are linked together by an asteroid, called the "Métal Hurlant", which is passing close to the planet where the episode's story is taking place.

The opening credits, narrated in French by voice actor Benoît Allemane, inform that the "Métal Hurlant" (Screaming Metal) is the last fragment of what was once a living planet, led to destruction by the madness of its inhabitants and condemned to travel ceaselessly through space and time, screaming its sadness and despair.

Cast[]

A number of notable British, French, American and Dutch actors have performed in various episodes of the show, including Scott Adkins, Karl E. Landler, Michael Jai White, James Marsters, Michelle Ryan, David Belle, Dominique Pinon, Kelly Brook, Joe Flanigan, Frédérique Bel and Rutger Hauer among others.

Broadcast[]

After being initially expected for early 2012,[1] all six episodes of season one were broadcast on France 4 in a late night time slot over the course of two nights in either default dubbed French or optional subtitled original English audio tracks, between 27 October and 3 November of the same year. Nolife was expected to rebroadcast season one in France sometime in 2013.

Sony Pictures Television has bought the broadcast rights for several European countries, where it was at least aired on Animax in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[2]

Syfy Channel began airing the first season of the series in the U.S. on 14 April 2014 on Mondays at 8:00 and 8:30 p.m with various repeats during the week following.[3]

Reception[]

Broadcast on 27 October 2012 after 3 episodes of Doctor Who that gathered a 1.4% share on the night, Métal Hurlant succeeded in raising the global share for channel France 4, bringing it to a tie with W9 and beating out Gulli, NT1 & D8.

The premiere episode attracted 347,000 viewers, garnering a 2.2% share at 11 p.m, but lost about 100,000 viewers for the next two episodes broadcast on the same night. Overall the night held 2.4% of 15- to 34-year-olds and 3.5% of men aged 15 to 49.[4]

When it debuted on SyFy in 2014, its viewership was slightly below normal for a pilot in its time slot, and then steadily declined.[5] Its critical reception has been tepid, from the start. Generally, the series is described as having decent visual effects, but being poorly written and produced, with inconsistent acting.[6][7]

Series overview[]

Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 6 27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) 3 November 2012 (2012-11-03)
2 6 4 January 2014 (2014-01-04) 12 May 2014 (2014-05-12)

Episodes[]

All 12 episodes were directed by Guillaume Lubrano.

Season 1[]

Episode
# 		Title Writers Air date Prod. code Viewers Share
1"King's Crown"
"La Couronne du Roi"		Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot27 October 2012 (2012-10-27)—347,0002.2%
Starring: Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Darren Shahlavi & Matt Mullins
Based on: "King's Crown" by & Richard Corben from Métal Hurlant №142, and (Vol.2) No. 10,[8] and (hardcover) No. 2
Plot: Moderated by robots, a combat tournament takes place to determine the successor of a throne.
2"Shelter Me"
"Protège-Moi"		Guillaume Lubrano, Justine Veillot & Dan Wickline27 October 2012 (2012-10-27)—250,0001.9%
Starring: James Marsters & Michelle Ryan
Based on: "Shelter Me" by Dan Wickline & from Métal Hurlant №142, and (Vol.2) No. 9,[9] and (hardcover) No. 1
Plot: A woman wakes up in a bomb shelter with another man. Is he telling the truth about the world's end or keeping her captive?
3"Red Light / Cold Hard Facts"
"Lumière Rouge / Réalité Glaçante"		Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot27 October 2012 (2012-10-27)101250,0002.2%
Starring: , David Belle, Jean-Yves Berteloot, Cyrille Diabaté, &
Based on: "Red Light" by Geoff Johns & Christian Gossett and "Cold Hard Facts" by & from Métal Hurlant №141, and (Vol.2) No. 2 ("Red Light"),[10] and (Vol.2) No. 8 ("Cold Hard Facts"),[9] and (hardcover) No. 1 (both)
Plot: In the first story, a fortified prison is controlled by strange creatures and has one prisoner that will do anything to escape. In the second story, Earth in 2312 is filled with 57 billion people. Scientists discover one more person, frozen from the 20th century.
4"Three on a Match"
"Oxygène"		Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot3 November 2012 (2012-11-03)—N/AN/A
Starring: Craig Fairbrass, Dominique Pinon, Eriq Ebouaney, & Andy Chase
Based on: "3 on a Match" by R.A. Jones & Ryan Sook from Métal Hurlant №139, and (hardcover) No. 1
Plot: Three men survive a crash, but a leak in their hull forces a not-so-difficult decision.
5"Master of Destiny"
"Les Maîtres du Destin"		Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot3 November 2012 (2012-11-03)—N/AN/A
Starring: Joe Flanigan, Kelly Brook & Charlie Dupont
Based on: "Les Maîtres du Destin" by Alejandro Jodorowsky & Adi Granov from Métal Hurlant №143, and (Vol.2) No. 10 (as "Masters of Destiny")[8]
Plot: A mercenary travels to the end of the galaxy in search of a secluded race.
6"Pledge of Anya"
"Le Serment d'Anya"		Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot3 November 2012 (2012-11-03)—N/AN/A
Starring: Rutger Hauer, , , &
Based on: "Le Serment d’Anya" by & from Métal Hurlant №146.
Plot: A warrior is tasked to destroy a foe, who turns out to be a six-year-old boy.

Season 2[]

Episode
# 		Title Writers Air date Prod. code Viewers Share
1"Whiskey in the Jar"
"Whisky"		Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot21 April 2014 (2014-04-21)—N/AN/A
Starring: Michael Biehn, James Marsters, &
Based on: "Whisky in the Jar" by & Gérald Parel from Metal Hurlant (Vol.2) No. 14,[8] and (hardcover) No. 2
Plot: A small-town sheriff receives a visit from a doctor with a talent for saving lives. But there may be more to the "talent" than meets the eye.
2"The Endomorphe"
"L'Endomorphe"		—19 April 2014 (2014-04-19)—N/AN/A
Starring: Michelle Lee, Silvio Simac, Michael Jai White & Darren Shahlavi
Based on: "Endomorphe" by from Metal Hurlant (Vol.2) No. 14,[8] and (hardcover) No. 1
Plot: In the conflict between humanity and the Mecamorphes, a key role is played by someone unexpected.
3"Loyal Khondor"
"Le Dernier Khondor"		Guillaume Lubrano5 May 2014 (2014-05-05)—N/AN/A
Starring: Karl E. Landler, , Scott Adkins, John Rhys-Davies, Marc Duret &
Based on: "The Loyal Khondor" by Alejandro Jodorowsky, , and Dan Brown from Metal Hurlant (Vol.2) No. 4.[9]
Plot: A loyal warrior seeks an elixir to cure his princess, stricken by disease.
4"Second Chance"
"Seconde chance"		Guillaume Lubrano28 April 2014 (2014-04-28)—N/AN/A
Starring: Scott Adkins & Karl E. Landler
Based on: "Second Chances" by , , and Dan Brown from Metal Hurlant (Vol.2) No. 5,[9] and (hardcover) No. 1
Plot: A notorious gambler is chased by the galaxy's most notorious creditor.
5"Second Son"
"Le Second fils"		—5 May 2014 (2014-05-05)—N/AN/A
Starring: Karl E. Landler, Frédérique Bel & Dominique Pinon
Based on: "The Second Son" by Brian Robertson & from Metal Hurlant (Vol.2) No. 13,[8] and (hardcover) No. 1
Plot: A fierce sibling rivalry between two princes transcends life and death.
6"Back to Reality"
"Retour à la réalité"		Guillaume Lubrano12 May 2014 (2014-05-12)—N/AN/A
Starring: Jimmy Jean-Louis, Dominique Pinon, , , &
Based on: "Reality Check" by Jim MacDonald & Francis Tsai from Métal Hurlant (hardcover) No. 1
Plot: A dream fixer allows the wealthy to dream themselves into new realities and worlds. But is he ultimately manipulating his clients?

Home release[]

Shout Factory released both seasons on 14 April 2015 on Blu-ray and DVD.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Métal Hurlant Chronicles", Scott Adkins: Action Star, 3 October 2011. Retrieved on 3 October 2011.
  2. ^ "Schwermetall". animaxtv.de.
  3. ^ "Metal Hurlant". Schedule. Syfy. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. ^ Cotte, Tony. "Métal hurlant chronicles démarre devant 350000 téléspectateurs", Toute La Télé, 29 October 2012. Retrieved on 29 October 2012.
  5. ^ Monday's Cable Ratings & Broadcast Finals: "The Voice" Tops Demos, "DWTS" Leads Viewers
    Metal Hurlant Chronicles (8:00)* – Syfy 0.747 million viewers, #34; 0.307 million adults 18–49 (0.24 rating), No. 35
  6. ^ "Metal Hurlant Chronicles". Strange Horizons. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014. The problem is that with the great influence that the magazine has had on genre storytelling across all media in the last forty years, none of the show's episodes feel truly innovative. Of the six episodes, three are a total disaster in terms of writing and directing; the other three, while significantly better, still feel like something that would have been considered fresh had it aired two decades ago.
  7. ^ "Metal Hurlant Chronicles is classic sci-fi (with the beauty and charm removed)". The AV Club. Michael Jai White appears in both, and the clearest sign of progress on the filmmakers' part is that, by the time they made "The Endomorphe," whoever is responsible for the closing credits had learned how to spell White's name. (He's listed as "Michael Jay White" in "King's Crown.")...Both "stories" amount to a series of fights that gradually winnow the cast down until there's just enough people left onscreen to take in the twist ending. Of the two episodes screened for critics, the twist endings run the gamut from predictable to unintentionally hilarious.
  8. ^ a b c d e Cail, Dave (3 October 2011). "Métal Hurlant Comic Book List – 2004". Heavy Metal Magazine List.
  9. ^ a b c d Cail, Dave (3 October 2011). "Métal Hurlant Comic Book List – 2003". Heavy Metal Magazine List.
  10. ^ Cail, Dave (3 October 2011). "Métal Hurlant Comic Book List – 2002". Heavy Metal Magazine List.
  11. ^ "Shout! Factory Brings Home the Metal Hurlant Chronicles". Dread Central.

External links[]

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