| Métal Hurlant Chronicles | |
|---|---|
 TV poster | |
| Genre | Science fiction,action,thriller,adventure,fantasy |
| Based on | Métal Hurlant byJean-Pierre Dionnet |
| Developed by | Guillaume Lubrano |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Guillaume Lubrano |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Benoît Allemane(French) |
| Theme music composer | Jesper Kyd |
| Country of origin | Belgium France |
| Original languages | English French |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Production location | Romania |
| Cinematography | Matthieu Misiraca |
| Editors | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | France 4 |
| Release | 27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) – 12 May 2014 (2014-05-12) |
Métal Hurlant Chronicles is an English-language Franco-Belgian science fictionanthology television series based on the popularcomics anthology magazineMétal Hurlant, known in the United States asHeavy 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 anasteroid, the "Métal Hurlant", passes the planet in question during the events of the story. The show's premise originated withGuillaume Lubrano, who put together a self-financed pilot to pitch the show, which was broadcast as the series' third episode. Lubrano andJustine Veillot produce the show through their companyWE Productions. It was largely filmed inBucharest,Romania.
The series premiered in French television on 27 October 2012 onFrance 4. Broadcast rights for various European countries such as Germany, Austria and Luxembourg, were bought bySony Pictures Television.[1]
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 theMétal Hurlant magazine. However, the show also proposes that all the stories are linked together by anasteroid, 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 actorBenoît 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.
A number of notable British, French, American and Dutch actors have performed in various episodes of the show, includingScott Adkins,Karl E. Landler,Michael Jai White,James Marsters,Michelle Ryan,David Belle,Dominique Pinon,Kelly Brook,Joe Flanigan,Frédérique Bel andRutger Hauer among others.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: information on the broadcast of the second season. You can help byadding to it.(August 2016) |
After being initially expected for early 2012,[1] all six episodes of season one were broadcast onFrance 4 in alate 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 onAnimax 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]
Broadcast on 27 October 2012 after 3 episodes ofDoctor 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 withW9 and beating outGulli,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 onSyFy 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]
| 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) | |
All 12 episodes were directed by Guillaume Lubrano.
| Episode # | Title | Writers | Air date | Prod. code | Viewers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "King's Crown" "La Couronne du Roi" | Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot | 27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) | — | 347,000 | 2.2% |
Starring:Scott Adkins,Michael Jai White,Darren Shahlavi &Matt Mullins Based on: "King's Crown" byJim Alexander &Richard Corben fromMétal 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 Wickline | 27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) | — | 250,000 | 1.9% |
Starring:James Marsters &Michelle Ryan Based on: "Shelter Me" by Dan Wickline &Mark Vigouroux fromMétal 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 Veillot | 27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) | 101 | 250,000 | 2.2% |
Starring:Guy Amram,David Belle,Jean-Yves Berteloot,Cyrille Diabaté,Patrice Delmont &Jean-Michel Martial Based on: "Red Light" byGeoff Johns &Christian Gossett and "Cold Hard Facts" byR.A. Jones &Matt Cossin fromMétal 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 37 billion people. Scientists discover one more person, frozen from the 20th century. | ||||||
| 4 | "Three on a Match" "Oxygène" | Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot | 3 November 2012 (2012-11-03) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Craig Fairbrass,Dominique Pinon,Eriq Ebouaney,Nathan Rippy &Andy Chase Based on: "3 on a Match" by R.A. Jones &Ryan Sook fromMétal 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 Veillot | 3 November 2012 (2012-11-03) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Joe Flanigan,Kelly Brook &Charlie Dupont Based on: "Les Maîtres du Destin" byAlejandro Jodorowsky &Adi Granov fromMétal 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 Veillot | 3 November 2012 (2012-11-03) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Rutger Hauer,Grégory Basso,Puiu Mitea,Ion Bechet &Gabriel Velicu Based on: "Le Serment d’Anya" byJulien Blondel &Jérôme Opena fromMétal Hurlant №146. Plot: A warrior is tasked to destroy a foe, who turns out to be a six-year-old boy. | ||||||
| Episode # | Title | Writers | Air date | Prod. code | Viewers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Whiskey in the Jar" "Whisky" | Guillaume Lubrano & Justine Veillot | 21 April 2014 (2014-04-21) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Michael Biehn,James Marsters,Dan Cade &Florin Stancu Based on: "Whisky in the Jar" byJim Alexander &Gérald Parel fromMetal 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/A | N/A |
Starring:Michelle Lee, Silvio Simac,Michael Jai White &Darren Shahlavi Based on: "Endomorphe" byStéphane Levallois fromMetal 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 Lubrano | 5 May 2014 (2014-05-05) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Karl E. Landler,Marem Hassler,Scott Adkins,John Rhys-Davies,Marc Duret &Kamel Laadaili Based on: "The Loyal Khondor" byAlejandro Jodorowsky,Pascal Alixe, and Dan Brown fromMetal 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 Lubrano | 28 April 2014 (2014-04-28) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Scott Adkins &Karl E. Landler Based on: "Second Chances" byJames MacDonald,Jorge Pereira Lucas, and Dan Brown fromMetal 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/A | N/A |
Starring:Karl E. Landler,Frédérique Bel &Dominique Pinon Based on: "The Second Son" by Brian Robertson &Fred Beltran fromMetal 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 Lubrano | 12 May 2014 (2014-05-12) | — | N/A | N/A |
Starring:Jimmy Jean-Louis,Dominique Pinon,Lygie Duvivier,Guy Amram,Grégory Basso &Aurore Tomé Based on: "Reality Check" byJim MacDonald &Francis Tsai fromMétal 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? | ||||||
Shout Factory released both seasons on 14 April 2015 onBlu-ray and DVD.[11]
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.
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.
