"Battlestar" special in Sci Fi galaxy

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Sci Fi Channel will air a two-hour episode of "Battlestar Galactica" in the fall, bridging the gap between the current third season and the fourth season slated to begin in January, the cable network said Wednesday.

The episode will feature the whole cast and will not necessarily be related to the story line, Sci Fi executive vp original programming Mark Stern said. It will be filmed in the next few months as the show returns to production and will then be marketed as a separate DVD.

Sci Fi also said that it has reached a deal for six one-hour episodes of a series with British mentalist Derren Brown.

The untitled project will feature U.S.-produced episodes featuring a man who predicts and can control some human behavior. Sci Fi said Brown, who has had a series of specials in the U.K., has inspired participants to rob and to give up their car keys and wallets to strangers.

Sci Fi also has renewed the series "Ghost Hunters" for a fourth season. Additionally, the new drama series "Painkiller Jane" will premiere April 13, while the launch of "Flash Gordon" and the return of "Eureka" are slated for summer.

The network also is developing "Phenomenon," a two-hour pilot executive produced by Kiefer Sutherland.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter