Doctor Who boss teases "seven seas of danger" in new spin-off series
By Ashley Hurst
The Doctor Who franchise is currently in the beginnings of a wholly new era. Showrunner Russell T. Davies is back pulling the strings, and Disney is investing heavily into the next generation of the Whoniverse. Season 1 aired this year to a mixed reception, with the next season set to premiere on Christmas Day and into 2025. Furthermore, there's an all-new spinoff being made: The War Between Land and the Sea.
The War Between Land and the Sea doesn't have a release date yet. Indeed, there's a lot about it we don't know. What we know so far is that it is all about the Sea Devils, one of the Doctor's oldest enemies; they date back to the 1960s. The Doctor himself will not be involved. Rather, it'll be a UNIT-focused series. The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Russell Tovey. Both Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart) and Alexander Devrient (Colonel Ibrahim) will reprise their roles.
With the world population on the brink, and the Doctor seemingly preoccupied, the responsibility falls to UNIT to protect the planet from the underwater threat. The Sea Devils last appeared in Doctor Who during Jodie Whittaker's run, in 2022's "The Legend of the Sea Devils." The episode got middling reviews; it currently stands at a meagre 4.6/10 on IMDb. The upcoming spinoff will dive much deeper into the Sea Devils lore, while also delivering a larger-than-life, full-scale war.
This month, the spinoff began production, with the cast gathering for a read-through, and Davies took to Instagram to share the exciting news. "Day One. The war begins," he wrote. "Read-through day for all five episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea. So much excitement. What a cast! Thrills, deaths, chases, fish, and seven seas of danger. Can’t wait!"
Hopefully the Sea Devils return with a bang, they deserve to be given their due in the modern era of Doctor Who. The War Between the Land and the Sea is currently in production and no release date has been set. Doctor Who will return on Christmas Day with Joy to the World, featuring Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan.
Disney executive insists Doctor Who is a "good fit"
Disney has become a partner for the new Doctor Who, providing a boost in budget. The new season didn't perform badly, but it wasn't a rating smash either, leading some to wonder if this partnership will be short-lived. But Disney executive Liam Keelan is committed.
“[Doctor Who] is a fabulous series," Keelan said, according to Deadline. "Obviously, in the UK it’s fully BBC, rightly so. We take rest of world rights. But really, really happy to have it. I think just, the quirkiness of it, the fact that it’s in that sci-fi world and when you think about what Disney offers in other regards, I think it feels like a really good fit to me. I mean it’s great to have it.”
We'll see what happens next when Doctor Who returns this holiday season.
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