THE DRESDEN FILES (Sci Fi) - The cable channel has greenlighted production on the two-hour backdoor pilot movie, based on Jim Butcher's series of bestselling novels of the same name. Hans Beimler ("The District") and Robert Wolfe ("The 4400") have come aboard to write and executive produce the Lions Gate Television-based project along with Nicolas Cage and Norm Golightly of Saturn Films and Morgan Gendel ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine") and Anthony Peckham ("5 Days to Midnight"). Here's how Sci Fi's press materials describe the project: "Erik Dresden is a detective with extraordinary powers, the kind that could belong only to the descendant of a long line of wizards.

Where others see the typical crimes of assault, kidnapping and serial killings, Erik sees otherworldly forces at work -- which only he knows how to combat. Whether consulting for the police on inexplicable crimes or following his own cases, Erik has a unique outlook on the world, and wields a wry sense of humor as one of his most potent weapons." Production on "Dresden" is set to begin in Toronto this fall for summer 2006 premiere.

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