Take an Exclusive First Look at Syfy's 'Ascension'

Syfy heads back into space starting December 15 at 9 p.m. ET with the premiere of the three-part series, "Ascension." After the show's official description via Syfy, check out an exclusive first-look followed by one of the event's trailers...

In the vein of past Syfy mini-series such as Taken, Alice, Tin Man and Battlestar Galactica, Ascension is a six-hour event set to debut on December 15.

In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

New TV Programming Announcements in Time for Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour

Universal Cable Productions (UCP) just made some big announcements just in time for the Television Critics Association (TCA) Summer Press Tour. An announcement was made that UCP has acquired the rights to the Danish drama “The Legacy” created by Maya Ilsoe with the goal to develop it into an event series. The press release revealed that "UCP has signed Doug Liman ('Edge of Tomorrow,' 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' 'Suits'), Dave Bartis ('Edge of Tomorrow,' 'Covert Affairs'), and Gene Klein ('Suits') of Hypnotic to produce."

"The Legacy" debuted this January on Denmark’s DR1 and ranked as the #1 show in market for most weeks. The series "follows the four children of an internationally renowned artist who dies leaving them to divide her estate. What was meant to be a quick and painless process exposes startling secrets and lies, turning their lives upside down and forcing them to take a deeper look within and at each other."

Dawn Olmstead, Executive Vice President, Development, Universal Cable Productions stated, “’The Legacy’ is an incredible drama with a secret at its heart that slowly tears the walls down of this complicated family. We fought hard with Hypnotic to get this project in a very competitive situation because we believe in the story at its core and it’s on point with the direction UCP is headed. “

Here is the complete information from the remainder of the release that includes details on Syfy programming including "Ascension," "12 Monkeys," and "The Magicians:"

Syfy Greenlights the 6-Hour Event Series "Ascension"

Syfy's President, Dave Howe, announced today that the network is "reigniting the channel’s traditional long-form scripted programming event for fourth quarter with the greenlight of the 6-hour series 'Ascension.'" The space travel-themed drama series will be produced in Montreal, QC by Sea To Sky Studios in association with Blumhouse Productions and is created and written by Philip Levens ("Smallville"). Levens will also serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner.

From David Howe, “Syfy is more committed than ever to bringing to life epic event television. We have a rich history in this arena, from Steven Spielberg’s ‘Taken’ to the highly acclaimed mini that launched the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series, to reimagined takes on classic tales such as ‘Alice’ and ‘Tin Man.’ In keeping with that grand tradition, we are delighted to bring this thrilling, provocative and intelligent event to our fans later this year.”

"Ascension" is described in the release:
In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world. Nearly 50 years into the journey, as they approach the point of no return, a mysterious murder of a young woman causes the ship’s population to question the true nature of their mission.

"Ascension" will be co-financed and distributed by Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television and is scheduled to launch in November 2014 and air through December.

-Larissa Mrykalo