Brian J. Smith to Guest Star in Syfy's Upcoming Original Series DEFIANCE

Brian J. Smith is set to guest star in an episode of Syfy's groundbreaking series, DEFIANCE, set to premiere April 2013. Smith will portRay Gordon McClintock, a NASA hero from the pre-Arkfall days who was presumed dead following a space station catastrophe in 2013. The astronaut is discovered to still be alive when he is revived from an induced sleep, and is overcome with shock and disbelief at the dangerous new world of Defiance. 

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Smith is a graduate of the four-year acting program at The Julliard School in New York City. Smith starred in the Syfy original series Stargate Universe and the Syfy original movie Red Faction. He also starred in the 2009 feature film The War Boys, written by award-winning playwright Naomi Wallace and Bruce McLeod, and appeared in the 2009 thriller Redhook. His additional television credits include Poirot : Murder on the Orient Express and a guest star role on NBC's Law and Order. Smith also appeared on Broadway in Come Back, Little Sheba opposite S. Epatha Merkerson, and, off-Broadway, in Good Boys and True, and Three Changes, opposite Dylan McDermott and Maura Tierney.

An unprecedented collaboration between Syfy and Trion Worlds, Defiance is the first-ever convergence of television and online gaming, featuring an interconnected world and storylines that will co-exist throughout a scripted drama series and a multiplatform online shooter. Produced by Universal Cable Productions, both the series and the game will debut simultaneously in April 2013.

Set in the near future, Defiance introduces an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden – and tumultuous – arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully. Each week, viewers will follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, MO, while in the game, players will adventure in the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area. The dramatic tapestry of the series and the intense action of the game will exist in a single universe where their respective narratives will inform one another and evolve together into one overall story.

Defiance stars Grant Bowler (Nolan), Julie Benz (Amanda Rosewater), Stephanie Leonidas (Irisa), Tony Curran (Datak Tarr), Jaime Murray (Stahma Tarr), Graham Greene (Rafe McCawley) and Mia Kirshner (Kenya). The series is currently in production in Toronto, ON.

The series is executive produced by Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica; Hellcats) & Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica). Kevin Murphy serves as showrunner. Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest) directed the pilot; Michael Nankin will serve as supervising producer/director on the series. Defiance is produced by Universal Cable Productions. The game was named "Best MMORPG" from GameSpy at the recent E3 conference in June 2012 (among other accolades).

About Syfy
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)
About Universal Cable Productions

Universal Cable Productions creates innovative and critically acclaimed original scripted and digital content across multiple media platforms and outlets for domestic and international distribution. UCP produces "Covert Affairs," "Fairly Legal," "Psych," "Royal Pains" and "Suits" for USA; "Alphas," "Defiance" and "Warehouse 13" for Syfy. Universal Cable Productions is a division of NBCUniversal.
About Trion Worlds

Trion Worlds is the leading publisher and developer of premium games for the connected era. Powered by a breakthrough development and publishing platform, Trion is revolutionizing the way games are developed, played and sold. Trion's world-class team delivers high-quality, dynamic and massively social games operated as live services across the biggest game genres and devices; including the critically acclaimed blockbuster, Rift™ and the highly-anticipated End of Nations™ and Defiance™. Trion is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., with offices in San Diego, Calif., Austin, Texas, and at Trion Worlds Europe in London, UK.

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