The creators of BattleStar Galactica return with a rather fresh twist to a scifi thriller with Virtuality, a two hour movie (or pilot for a new series ... Ronald D. Moore remains hopeful) premiering tonight on FOX. Now, FOX is on my chit list for dumping my favorite tv series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I perked up when I heard about this latest project by BSG's Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor. And even more jazzed that Peter Berg, aka Hancock director, would direct the pilot, er movie. The cast ain't too shaby, either:

CREW OF THE PHAETON

• Commander Frank Pike - Nikolaj Coster-Walder (from the short-lived tv series, New Amsterdam)
• Rika Goddard, Microbial Exobiologist - Sienna Guillory (Inkheart, Eragon, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Helen of Troy, 2002 adaptation of The Time Machine, Superstition)
• Dr. Roger Fallon, Psychologist - James D'Arcy (Rise: Blood Hunter, Exorcist: The Beginning, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Dark Realm tv series, Revelation, and look for him in FOX's upcoming scifi - Them)
• Billie Kashmiri, Computer Expert and reality show Host - Kerry Bishé (American adaption of the brit series Life on Mars)
• Dr. Jimmy Johnson, Engineer - Ritchie Coster (The Dark Knight, The Tuxedo)
• Julius 'Jules' Braun, Designer of the Phaeton - Erik Jensen (the scifi short Stream, New Amsterdam, Messengers, Alias tv series, Black Knight, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Stephen King's The Dark Half)
• Dr. Adin Meyer - Omar Metwally (Rendition)
• Kenji Yamamoto - Nelson Lee (Vacancy 2: The First Cut, Blade: The Series)
• Alice Thibadeau - Joy Bryant (The Skeleton Key, Spider-Man 2)
• Val Orlovsky, Geologist - Gene Farber
• Manny Rodriguez, Astrophysicist - Jose Pablo Cantillo (Disturbia, Crank, and remake of The Manchurian Candidate)
• Sue Parsons, Pilot - Clea DuVall (The Killing Room, Passengers, The Watch, Anamorph, Heroes, Carnivàle, The Grudge, Identity, How to Make a Monster, John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, The Astronaut's Wife,  The Faculty, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Series, Little Witches)

• Jean, the ship's computer - Kari Wahlgren (if you play video games, you've heard her voice)

• The Mysterious Green-eyed Man - Jimmi Simpson (Eleventh Hour, Stay Alive, Herbie Fully Loaded, Carnivàle, Stephen King's Rose Red)

Virtualty follows 12 astronauts on a ten-year trek across the vastness of space to visit one of our neighboring star's Epsilon Eridani. Sound's pretty normal, right? Well, to help past the time on the long journey, each is custom-fitted with a virtual reality module allowing them to play out one fantasy or another in their minds. Ok, still kinda boring, so far. But wait, that's not all. To fund Earth's first starship's mission, the crew of the Phaeton are subject's of Earth's first outer space reality tv series, The Edge of Never. Now that sounds hysterical enough to watch (and with Peter Berg directing, I can't wait to see him top Hancock's threat-made-real of actually sticking someone's head up another's butt). Oh, but there is more ... the crew discovers a virus in the Virtuality. Is it a bug? Is it sabotage?? If so, who is the hacker??? Could it be one of their own crew members???? Well, join me tonight to find out and watch Virtuality on FOX.

For more on the new series, I mean film, visit the FOX Virtuality Facebook page (and be on the lookout for several webisodes to be released with the show):

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virtuality/79071714541