FOX Cancels 'Hieroglyph' Before Premiere

One of the more anticipated dramas of the 2014-2015 broadcast season was Hieroglyph, a sexy historical fantasy drama set in Ancient Egypt. FOX apparently had such faith in its potential that it bypassed giving it a pilot order, and instead ordered it straight-to-series for a midseason premiere in early 2015. But now, FOX is probably wishing it had ordered a pilot first.

The network has canceled Hieroglyph, first informing the writers early on Monday. Only one episode had been shot at the time of cancellation, but scripts for several more episodes had already been turned in. Apparently, network brass felt the series wasn't progressing creatively, leading to the cancellation. The series was set to have starred Beauty and the Beast alum Max Brown, along with Reece Ritchie, Condola Rashad and John Rhys-Davies.

The cancellation could be a part of a complete reshuffling of the network following the departure of FOX chief Kevin Reilly, who originally gave the series the greenlight. It's particularly telling that FOX is the only major network that has yet to announce its fall programming schedule or premiere dates, as it gives the impression of a network in transition, if not outright turmoil.

Many pundits believed Hieroglyph was FOX's attempt to get into the fantasy genre so comfortably populated by HBO's Game of Thrones. Created by executive producer Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim), the story of Hieroglyph centered on a "notorious thief who is plucked from prison to serve the Pharoah, forcing him to navigate palace intrigue, seductive concubines, criminal underbellies and divine sorcerers, as he races to stop the downfall of one of history’s greatest civilizations." Kind of a shame, because that sounds awesome, honestly. But if the scripts just weren't working, it's better to save money now than to let it air a bunch of episodes to virtually no ratings strength. However, you never know what's going to be a hit. It's the Sleepy Hollow principle. In six months time, FOX may be looking back on this as a mistake.

Via: Entertainment Weekly

Credit: FOX