SFX 233 Preview: Spartacus Producer On His New Sci-Fi War Show, Incursion

After three seasons reinventing the semi-fictitious exploits of the Roman slave Spartacus for TV with Blood And Sand and its successors, former Buffy and Angel writer Steven S DeKnight is heading back to the genre world for his next series, Incursion .

The gritty premise follows a platoon of soldiers whose mission it is to seek out and destroy deadly alien forces on various exotic planets. “With the new show I’m looking to do the reverse [to Spartacus’s feel],” he continues, “where everything is much more real. The violence will be graphic, but it will be very real. And I want to explore what happens to a person during war, how a person changes.”

But don’t get worried that the show might be too cerebral. “With Spartacus , [executive producer] Rob Tapert and I always approached it that our job number one was to entertain the audience. I think too often in this television landscape, especially once you get to premium cable, sometimes you can lose sight of the fact that there is an audience. You’re not just making the show for yourself. And, you know, it’s not a sin to actually have people enjoy what they’re watching.”

Incursion ’s pilot is likely to shoot in 2013.