Review Fix Exclusive: Joseph Mallozzi Talks ‘Dark Matter’ on SyFy

Review Fix chats with “Dark Matter” creator Joseph Mallozzi who discusses his new SyFy series, from its origins as a script to eventual Dark Horse Comic to television show. A former writer on the cult-classic and critically acclaimed series, “Stargate-SG-1” and pair of spin-offs, Mallozzi lets us know what to expect from a series that in pre-production, already features a plethora of solid young actors who have appeared on everything from “The Strain, to “Twilight” and even Broadway.

Review Fix: How did the series transition from comic books to TV? What was the process like?

Joseph Mallozzi: Actually, the script came first.  I’d been developing the series for many years while working on Stargate and eventually wrote the pilot.  Rather than simply go out and pitch the series, I decided on a different tact. I knew, from my many years working development early in my career, that “established properties” always seemed to garner more attention than original material.  And so, Paul and I approached Dark Horse Comics about transforming the pilot (and what would be the show’s second episode) into a four-issue mini.  They loved the idea.  And, sure enough, when it came time to pitching “Dark Matter: The Series,” the comic book proved an invaluable visual tool that really helped make the sale.

Review Fix: What is your favorite element of the series?

Mallozzi: If there’s one thing I learned early in my television career, it’s that viewers may tune in for the hook, but they stay for the characters.  And Dark Matter is, first and foremost, all about its characters.

Review Fix: The comic has some awesome characters- you need a special cast to pull it off. What was casting like?

Mallozzi: Casting was exciting, fun, frustrating and, ultimately, very satisfying.  In many ways, I wish we had three more characters to cast.

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy this series the most?

Mallozzi: Those who enjoy science fiction, serialized drama, compelling characters, and their action-adventure with a dose of humor.

Review Fix: Will fans of your previous work dig this? Why/Why not?

Mallozzi: I think that fans of Stargate will enjoy Dark Matter, again, for its emphasis on characters, relationships, and its underlying humor – elements that made Stargate such a huge success.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this TV series?

Mallozzi: Plain and simple, Paul and I wanted to tell a story.  And this first season is what we consider Book One in this much longer narrative.

Review Fix: What is it comparable to?

Mallozzi: Hmmm.  Ultimately, if I had to draw parallels to any other work, it would be an anime series called Cowboy Bebop.

Review Fix: How is the TV series different from the comic?

Mallozzi: The series will add many new layers to the story, the world, and, of course, the characters and their relationships.  Still, the four issue trade paperback does a nice job of encapsulating our first two episodes for those looking for a sneak preview.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Mallozzi: Head on over to my blog (www.josephmallozzi.wordpress.com) where I’ll be offering up behind-the-scene insights throughout prep, production, and post-production on Dark Matter’s first season.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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